A Leopard's Storm
by missbossy37
Summary: Leopardstorm is a warrior of Thunderclan. But there's more to her than that. Join her as she battles her way through her own personal storm. Can she stand tall and battle the storm or get swept off her paws? (oc description inside)
1. Prologue

**Bossy here! I decided that I should make a warrior's fanfic. This fanfic goes all the way back to the first series of Warriors but just with my oc. And yes I know you're probably thinking that I should make my own clans and stuff like that but I don't feel like it (don't judge). Anyways, my oc is Leopardstorm. She is a spotted hazel tabby with emerald green eyes. She has long fur that is sleek and well groomed. She lives in Thunderclan. On with the story!**

Prologue:

Thunder sounded through the crisp night air. Clouds covered the stars making no light beam down on the drenched forest. A dark striped tabby ran through the forest with a spotted hazel bundle of fur in his jaws. The kit let out a whimper as thorns scraped through her long fur. The tabby panted heavily and ran faster. His fur was pressed to his sides, showing his rippling muscles underneath his skin. He ran through bushes and thorns until a tunnel appeared. He sighed in relief then ran through. Urgent murmurs were coming from the tunnel. The tabby slowed to a walk and pushed through the leaves hanging over the entrance. Cats were hustling around while yowls sounded from a nearby den. A white tom's ears pricked as he looked at the striped tabby walking into the camp. "Tigerclaw!" he exclaimed. Then he padded to him. "Goldenflower's-" he broke off as he saw the kit in Tigerclaw's jaws. "What is this?" he asked. Tigerclaw placed the kit down gently between his huge paws.

"What happened?" he asked. The white tom didn't answer. Tigerclaw dug his sharp claws into the dirt in frustration. "Whitestorm! What happened?" Tigerclaw snapped. Whitestorm looked at him then the kit then back again.

"Goldenflower's began kitting. Spottedleaf is with her now." he answered. Tigerclaw picked up the kit then padded to the den where the yowls are coming from. "Tigerclaw!" Whitestorm called after him. Tigerclaw growled.

"What?" he snapped.

"Where did you find it?" Whitestorm asked, looking at the kit. Tigerclaw's heart froze.

"I found her outside. She was in a bush mewling for help. I couldn't find her mother so I took her." he said carefully. Whitestorm narrowed his eyes. "I really need to check on my mate." Before Whitestorm could question him any further, he hurried to the den. As he walked in, a golden pale she-cat was sprawled out in a nest made of moss. Howls of agony erupted from her as ripples passed through her stomach. A spotted she-cat ran her paw lightly over the she-cat.

"Two kits Goldenflower. You can do it." she murmured encouragingly. Tigerclaw padded to the spotted cat and placed the kit down beside Goldenflower.

"How is she Spottedleaf?" he asked. Spottedleaf sighed.

"She's fine." she mewed. Goldenflower whimpered as her stomach heaved and rippled. "It's coming!" Tigerclaw's fur bristled and he wrapped himself around Goldenflower comfortingly. Goldenflower yowled in pain as a wet bundle of dark fur slipped out. Spottedleaf nipped at it then licked it roughly. "One more Goldenflower. You can do it." Spottedleaf encouraged, between licks. Then a tawny bundle slipped out. Goldenflower nipped it then did the same as Spottedleaf. Tigerclaw looked at the two kits with pride. He purred in happiness as they began to mewl. "A tom and she-cat." Spottedleaf announced. The other queens purred in happiness. Goldenflower relaxed and leaned into Tigerclaw.

"They're beautiful." she murmured. Tigerclaw licked her ear and purred. The two kits began to feel their way to their mother's belly, Goldenflower helping them along the way. Then the leopard kit's nose twitched as she sensed milk nearby. She began to feel her way over Goldenflower's paw and to her belly. Goldenflower purred in amusement and confusion. "How did she get here?" she asked. Tigerclaw froze as she bent to sniff the kit and her fur began to bristle. She leaned to Tigerclaw's ear. "Why does she smell like Shadowclan?" she asked with fear. Tigerclaw looked around.

"I'll tell you later. But I didn't steal her." he murmured. Goldenflower looked at him then nodded.

"What are you going to name them?" a white queen with shimmering blue eyes asked. Goldenflower looked at Tigerclaw then down at her kits.

"I think this one should be Bramblekit." she said, pointing her tail at the dark striped tom. "And this one should be Tawnykit." she added, beckoning her tail to the tawny she-cat. She looked at Tigerclaw and beckoned to the third kit. Tigerclaw sighed and looked at his daughter.

"We should name this one… Leopardkit." he answered. Leopardkit squeaked in acknowledgement of her name. Tigerclaw purred in amusement. "Welcome to Thunderclan my kits."


	2. Chapter 1

Light shimmered down on my hazel fur, making it glimmer. My siblings, Bramblekit and Tawnykit, crept beside me. Our backs were arched and our steps were light as we stalked our prey. I was in the lead as we got closer. Our prey let out a snort as it slept. I smiled and beckoned around it. Tawnykit and Bramblekit nodded and went to the sides then we closed in on our prey silently. "Steady…" I murmured. It's matted gray fur lifted up as it snored and it's small ears were pressed to it's head. I crouched low with my tail swaying behind me. Then our prey's ears twitched as he sensed movement. He slowly lifted his head up and looked around. "Now!" I exclaimed. I pounced on his back while Tawnykit and Bramblekit pounced on his tail. Our prey let out a cry for help and fell back. I climbed up his back, onto his head then peered down in his face. "It's just us, Smallear." I giggled. Smallear growled and shook us off. I landed on my hindquarters with a thud along with Bramblekit and Tawnykit.

"You three are always trying to creep up on me in my sleep!" the elder snapped. I rolled my eyes with a huff.

"We were just practicing our hunting. We're going to be apprentices soon!" I muttered. Bramblekit crouched low again with a gleam in his eyes.

"Then we get to try it on real prey!" he exclaimed. I purred in amusement and nodded. Smallear scoffed.

"You have two more moons until your ceremony. Go practice somewhere else so I can get some sleep." he muttered. Then he shooed us away with his tail. I padded away with my siblings as Smallear grumbled some more then settled back down in his nest. Tawnykit sat on her hindquarters.

"Smallear's always grumpy." she muttered. I scoffed in agreement and looked around. Then a soft purr sounded behind us and I looked up to see Goldenflower.

"You three shouldn't be treading on the elders' tails." she murmured.

"We were just practicing until Smallear shooed us away!" Bramblekit protested. Goldenflower purred in amusement.

"Your father should be here soon. He's on patrol at the Shadowclan border. Then you can play with him." she said. I jumped around in excitement.

"I can't wait to be an apprentice! Then I can patrol the Shadowclan border." I mewed. Then I crouched with my claws unsheathed. "I'll tear those cats to shreds if they cross into our territory!" Goldenflower's eyes flashed with alarm but she settled down while Bramblekit rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, right! I bet when one Shadowclan cat crosses the border, you're going to run back to camp like a kit with your tail between your legs!" he snickered. Then he ran around with his tail between his legs and his ears flat to his head. "Goldenflower! Goldenflower! There's a big mean Shadowclan cat in our territory! Help me! Help me!" he wailed mockingly. I growled and Tawnykit laughed.

"Will not!" I snapped.

"Will to!" Bramblekit retorted. I growled and leapt at him. Bramblekit squeaked in surprise and fell back. I pinned him down and pawed his head with sheathed claws. "Hey! You didn't give me a warning!" Bramblekit complained.

"A great warrior is always prepared!" I retorted. Then I got off of him and flicked my ears while lifting my snout in the air. "Like me." I said, holding my paw to my chest making Tawnykit scoff.

"You can't even pay attention when someone's talking to you. How are you going to be prepared if a cat attacks you?" Tawnykit chuckled. I rolled my eyes and Bramblekit snickered. Then rustling came from the entrance. I looked at it and saw Tigerclaw's patrol pad through. I purred and scampered to him. Bramblekit and Tawnykit followed.

"Tigerclaw! Tigerclaw!" I called. Tigerclaw looked at us and purred. I leapt at him along with my littermates making him fall on his hindquarters.

"You're getting bigger!" he grunted. I purred in amusement and nuzzled his chin. Tigerclaw purred and licked my fluffy head. Goldenflower padded to us and licked Tigerclaw's muzzle.

"How was your patrol?" she asked. Before he could answer I broke in.

"Did you see any Shadowclan cats?" I asked excitedly. Bramblekit and Tawnykit squeaked.

"Did they attack you?" Bramblekit asked.

"Did they steal our prey?" Tawnykit added.

"Did they try to steal our territory?" I squeaked. As we kept pressing him with questions, he turned to Goldenflower.

"Everything was fine. There wasn't any sign of cats and everything seems peaceful." he said. I flicked my tail in approval. _They're lucky they didn't cross into our territory. If they had then I would've clawed them to shreds!_ Bluestar padded out of her den and looked at her clan through glittering eyes. I scampered over to her, leaving my littermates to look after me in surprise. Bluestar looked down at me as I bounced in front of her paws.

"Bluestar! What's it like being leader?" I asked. Bluestar purred and looked down at me with a soft smile.

"It's very hard work but the stress is worth it when you see your clanmates healthy and safe." she purred. "Maybe if you train hard enough, you might be leader one day." My eyes widened. _Me? Being leader?_

"I couldn't be leader. That's too much responsibility." I stated. Bluestar looked at me in surprise.

"Really? Most kits would want to be a leader." she said. I shrugged. "But you do know that you would have the support from your medicine cats and deputy, right? That's why we all work together." I looked down in thought. Then Redtail padded up to us with alarm blazing in his eyes and his fur prickling along his spine.

"Bluestar, Riverclan made their scent marks on _our_ side of the border!"


	3. Chapter 2

I gasped then turned to Bluestar as she stood up and climbed onto the High Rock. "Cats who are old enough to catch their own prey, gather beneath the High Rock for a clan meeting!" she yowled. Goldenflower and my littermates padded to me in my spot and Tigerclaw followed. As everyone gathered around, Lionheart and Redtail exchanged words. Lionheart's eyes widened and he looked up at Bluestar. "Riverclan has decided to take back Sunning Rocks." she announced. Gasps sounded around the clan and I felt Tigerclaw tense behind me. "I will send a patrol to show that Thunderclan will never give up Sunning Rocks and we will fight like Tigerclan for them." Cheers sounded and I trembled with excitement. "Redtail will lead the patrol." Her eyes looked through her clan and the warriors lifted their chins with pride. "Take Mousefur, Ravenpaw, Willowpelt, Runningwind, and Tigerclaw." she decided. Tigerclaw's ears pricked when he heard his name. Redtail nodded and gathered everyone with his tail. Tigerclaw padded to the chosen warriors and I began to follow but Goldenflower held me back.

"This is their fight. You're too young." she murmured. I gaped at her.

"But I'll be an apprentice in two more moons!" I protested.

"Yes, two more moons and two more moons isn't now." Goldenflower retorted. Tigerclaw padded up to us.

"We need you three to look after the camp while we're gone. Keep your mother safe." he said. I rolled my eyes. _You're just saying that to shut us up!_ Tigerclaw gave us all a lick to our ears then ran after the patrol. An idea popped into my head. Goldenflower padded back to the nursery and I turned to my siblings.

"I have an idea." I announced. Bramblekit's ears pricked while Tawnykit rolled her eyes.

"Every idea you have gets us in trouble." she muttered. I rolled my eyes then leaned in.

"We have to help our clanmates! I suggest we follow them from behind and help." I murmured. Bramblekit's eyes gleamed while Tawnykit shook her head.

"We'll get in trouble!" she protested.

"Or rewarded." Bramblekit squeaked. "Just think about it! Three kits saving their clan! We would be made apprentices sooner!" I nodded my head and flicked my tail in approval.

"Or have our ceremony delayed!" Tawnykit retorted. I sighed and my tail drooped in annoyance.

"Would you stop being a scaredy mouse? You're always looking at the dark side of things." I snapped. Tawnykit glared at me.

"Fine! Let's go get in trouble." she muttered. I smiled then looked around. Everything was clear. Bluestar was now in her den and Goldenflower was sleeping in the nursery with the other queens. We crept around the camp in the shadows until we reached a hole in our camp walls. I beckoned Bramblekit and Tawnykit to go first as I kept watch. Then I followed them. We looked around to see nothing but trees.

"Which way do you think they went?" Bramblekit asked. I sniffed the air but only smelt leaves and dirt.

"I don't know. Maybe we should look for scowling noises." I suggested. We walked around cautiously with our ears pricked.

"Maybe this is a bad idea. Let's turn back." Tawnykit squeaked. I rolled my eyes and looked around. Then I heard a faint battle cry. I pricked my ears and listened.

"Shhh! You hear that?" I whispered. There was silence and then the cry came again along with others. "Come on! This way!" Bramblekit and Tawnykit followed close behind as I led the way through the undergrowth. The yowls were getting louder as the trees thinned out into willow trees and bushes. I clawed up a log along with my siblings and saw cats fighting. Blood was spilled onto the floor and howls of agony and victory filled the air. I looked around and saw Tigerclaw surrounded by Riverclan cats. His eyes were gleaming with defiance and a long scratch was on his muzzle over his nose. Tigerclaw clawed at the cats as they leapt at him. He snatched a cat's hind leg into his jaws and shook him roughly like a dog. I watched in awe as he flung him into the air. Then a cat blocked my view. I looked up to see a sneering Riverclan cat. I gasped and backed away against the log. Bramblekit and Tawnykit were behind me. I shook myself and glared at the warrior. "Get out of our territory, you fish breath!" I snarled. The cat chuckled.

"I'm not going to listen to a worthless kit." he sneered. Then he raised an unsheathed claw. I widened my eyes and crouched low in fear. _Starclan help us!_


	4. Chapter 3

I widened my eyes as a yowl sounded. "Get away from my kits, you fox dung!" Tigerclaw snarled. The cat turned to see Tigerclaw bounding over to him. He let out a whimper and ran away with his tail between his legs. Tigerclaw glared after him then turned his gaze on us. "What are you doing here?" he snapped. I looked up at him with wide eyes.

"W-we came to help." I stammered. Tigerclaw growled and looked around quickly. Mousefur was limping heavily from a gash on her leg.

"Mousefur!" Tigerclaw called. She looked at him then limped over. "You're too injured to fight. Take the kits and go back to camp." I looked at him in dismay.

"But-" I broke off as Tigerclaw glared at me.

_"Now!"_ he snarled. I flattened my ears and duck my head low. Mousefur limped over the log and waited for us to crawl over. I waited until Bramblekit and Tawnykit climbed over. I scrambled up the log then looked back. Tigerclaw was gone. I sighed and jumped down from the log. _He's mad at me… I let him down…_

"Hey, cheer up kits. He's just hard on you because he wants you to be safe. It _is_ a tough battle out there." Mousefur murmured. Bramblekit and Tawnykit nodded lifting their heads a little higher. I kept my head low as Tigerclaw's glare still lingered in my head. Bramblekit looked at me in sympathy.

"I told you this was a bad idea." Tawnykit muttered. Bramblekit nudged her and gave her a warning look. Tawnykit jerked her head to him then saw me. "But it was worth a try. It could've work." she murmured. I rolled my eyes and lifted my head higher.

"Yeah, but it didn't." I muttered with a hard expression. Then I padded to Mousefur's side and we made our way to camp, leaving the screeching cats behind.

"Have you lost your minds?!" Goldenflower snapped, looking at us with worry. "You could've got killed! What on earth made you think that was a good idea?!" Before Tawnykit or Bramblekit could answer, I lifted my head high.

"It was my idea." I said. Goldenflower looked at me. "I wanted to prove to everyone that we could be useful and we were hoping Bluestar would make us apprentices in return when we helped win the battle." Goldenflower sighed and her eyes softened.

"You're just kits. Stop rushing things or someone will get hurt." she murmured.

"Besides, you are useful." a voice broke in. I looked up to see Bluestar as she looked down on us. "Your job as kits are to listen to the stories the elders have, to gain wisdom for your years as a warrior. Your job is to listen to the instructions we give you, to learn your way through the clans. Your job is to listen to the dreams Starclan has given you, for you will find them useful in the future." I narrowed my eyes in thought.

"But that's just listening! We can't help our clan by _listening!"_ Bramblekit squeaked. Bluestar chuckled.

"Listening is only a part of being a warrior." she murmured. "Close your eyes. All of you." I closed my eyes and hung my shoulders back. "When you're out into the forest- Bramblekit I said close your eyes not try to step on Leopardkit's tail." I opened an eye to see Bramblekit's paw feeling his way for my tail. I swiped his paw away then tucked my tail over my paws. Then I closed my eyes and listened to Bluestar. "When you're out into the forest, you need to listen to the breeze in case they carry a sign of trouble. You need to listen to tiny details in case there might be prey. You need to listen for other cats, in case they are in danger. There are many things you need to listen for. We need to _listen_ before taking action." I opened my eyes to see Bluestar smile at us as she saw thought glittering in our eyes. Then rustling sounded near us. I looked at the elders' den to see an orange tabby with Graypaw padding out. I squeaked in surprise.

"Intruder!" I exclaimed. Bluestar followed my gaze and chuckled.

"He's not an intruder. He's our new clanmate, Firepaw." she said. I tipped my head in confusion.

"But he wasn't born in Thunderclan." I murmured.

"He wanted to join." Graypaw said as he walked over. Firepaw followed and looked down at us. Strange smells filled my nose as he got near and Bramblekit's nose twitched.

"Ewww! What's that smell?" he gagged. Then he sniffed Firepaw. "You reek!" I shoved him making him stumble onto his hindquarters.

"Don't be rude! You don't smell the best either but I don't complain!" I snapped. Bramblekit muttered under his breath.

"He's from Twoleg place." Graypaw explained. I widened my eyes.

"You lived with Twolegs?" I asked. Firepaw nodded. "What was it like? Were they mean? Were they ugly? Did they try to eat you?" I pressed. Firepaw purred.

"They're not bad. They took care of me and made sure I was always healthy." he said. Bramblekit gagged and I pawed his ear. Then thundering paws sounded in the entrance. I swirled around to see Ravenpaw leap through the entrance and onto the ground. A deep gash was on his shoulder and blood oozed out of it. He was panting from the long run and his eyes were bulging out of his head.

"Ravenpaw! What's happen?" Bluestar exclaimed. Cats ran out of their dens to see what was going on. Spottedleaf ran to help. "Speak, Ravenpaw!" Bluestar demanded. Ravenpaw looked at her.

"R-Redtail… Redtail's dead!" he grunted. Gasps and mournful howls filled the air. Bluestar quivered on her legs then fell on her haunches. "We were retreating from Sunning Rocks… while the Riverclan cats were celebrating their victory… Redtail was…" Ravenpaw broke off as he stumbled and fell. Spottedleaf pulled him to the medicine den and Tigerclaw walked through with Redtail's body in his jaws. More gasps sounded and my eyes widened.

"What happened, Tigerclaw?" Bluestar asked, grief and fury making her voice go low. Tigerclaw placed Redtail's body gently on the ground and looked at everyone.

"Redtail has died an honorable death. Oakheart attacked him as we were retreating. I was cornered by a group of cats and when I finally made it through… it was too late. I managed to take Oakheart's life when they were gloating over their victory." Tigerclaw announced. I bowed my head in grief. _Redtail would've made a fine leader… I wanted to be just like him…_ Bluestar looked at the ground then shook herself.

"Redtail was a fine deputy. I'm sure he would've made a great leader as well. We will bury his body at sunset but I must choose a new deputy." she announced. Then she jumped on top of the High Rock. There was no need to summon everyone. "I say this before the body of Redtail, and I hope that he hears and respects my choice," Her eyes looked through the gathered warriors. "Lionheart will be the new deputy of Thunderclan." she announced. Lionheart flicked his ears in surprise then lifted his head proudly.

"Thank you, Bluestar. I will lead the clan through all the years to come as if I were Redtail himself." he said. Bluestar nodded to him.

"There is no doubt you will be a great deputy." she murmured. Then she turned to her clan. "I will sit with Redtail's body before the elders' bury him." She jumped down from the High Rock and settled beside Redtail, pressing her nose to his fur. Dustpaw had his ears pressed to his head in sadness. Sandpaw rested her tail on his shoulder comfortingly before walking to the apprentices' den. Firepaw and Graypaw went to go talk to Ravenpaw. I sighed and followed Goldenflower to the nursery with Bramblekit and Tawnykit. Goldenflower settled in her nest and nuzzled us into her belly. Before I closed my eyes Tigerclaw padded through the entrance. I quickly closed my eyes and pretended to be asleep.

"Leopardkit, I know you're not asleep." he meowed. I sighed and opened my eyes. Bramblekit and Tawnykit looked up at him. I avoided his gaze and looked at my paws. "I know I was a little harsh on you three, but that's only because I was scared." I pricked my ears in surprise. _Tigerclaw can get scared? Since when?_ "Yes I know you don't hear that everyday." he chuckled as he saw the look of surprise on our faces. "I was scared I would lose you three. I know you wanted to help defend your clan but what did you think would happen? You could've got eaten by foxes or badgers or even get sliced by Riverclan cats." We ducked out head low and sighed.

"We're sorry." We murmured in unison.

"And just to be clear, it was all Leopardkit's fault." Tawnykit blurted out. I gaped at her.

_"What?!_ You could've stayed!" I snapped.

"You two were begging me to come!" Tawnykit protested. I scoffed.

"I wouldn't say begging. It was more like… _persuading."_ I retorted. Tawnykit rolled her eyes and Tigerclaw chuckled before making his way out the camp.

"Good night, you three." he murmured.

"Good night!" we squeaked. Then he was gone. I settled into Goldenflower's fur and closed my eyes.

I woke up to bright lights around me. The sky was open and grass tickled my nose. I sneezed sending a hidden butterfly flying away. I looked at it in awe. I got up and wiggled my hindquarters before leaping after it. The butterfly flew higher then teased me by flying over my head in circles. I chuckled then lifted my paw to catch it. I hooked my paw around it's wing then dragged it down. "Caught ya!" I snickered.

"Welcome, Leopardkit." a voice sounded behind me. I jumped in surprise and the butterfly flew away. I scowled then turned around to see Redtail. I gasped and gaped at him in disbelief.

"Redtail! But… you're dead." I exclaimed. Then my eyes widened in fear. "Am I dead too?" Redtail gave me an amused look and chuckled.

"No little one. I have come with news." he purred. I tilted my head.

"News?" I asked. Redtail nodded then sat down.

"Listen closely to my words." he said, his eyes growing serious.

_"A trusted warrior with the claws of a tiger, will lead the clans to darkness. A warrior with the heart of a leopard but the courage of a storm will shine through and return peace among the clans once more."_

I stared at him with fear. "What do you mean?" I asked but he was already beginning to fade. "No Redtail, please! Tell me!" Redtail blinked then vanished, his voice still lingering in the air.

_"But remember. A warrior seeking revenge, is a enemy to all the clans."_


	5. Chapter 4

I jumped awake with wide eyes. My fur was fluffed out, making me look twice my size and my claws were unsheathed, digging into the tail beneath them. Tawnykit let out a yelp and glared at me. "What was that for?" she snapped. I took a deep breath and forced my fur to lie flat.

"I had a bad dream." I muttered. Tawnykit scoffed and settled her head on her paws.

"Well have a bad dream quietly. I'm trying to sleep." she retorted. I rolled my eyes and padded outside. I couldn't sleep after what I heard. _What did Redtail mean? A trusted warrior will lead the clans through darkness… but who? And who's the warrior that will save us?_ My head was spinning making it hurt. I sighed and padded out into the warm night air. I took a deep breath and sighed.

"That's not fair and you know it!" a voice hissed. I pricked my ears and saw Tigerclaw talking to a brown cat with scars all over his muzzle. I crept into the shadows and watched them. The brown tom had a strange musty smell clinging to his fur and Tigerclaw's eyes were full of rage.

"She's my kit just as much as her's!" Tigerclaw growled. I tilted my head in confusion. _Who are they talking about?_ "I'm sorry Clawface, but she's staying here." Clawface growled and his lip curled into a snarl.

"She belongs with her mother!" he spat. Tigerclaw gritted his teeth.

"And that's why she's here! She's with her mother!" he snapped.

"She needs to be with her _real_ mother!" Clawface snarled. Tigerclaw lifted his head bravely.

"She's staying here." he said. Clawface growled and bared his fangs into a snarl.

"Then we'll take her by force." he hissed. As he ran out of the camp, I looked at Tigerclaw.

"Take who?" I asked quietly. Tigerclaw jumped when he saw me.

"How long have you been there? How much have you heard?" he asked with fear. I lowered my ears.

"I just woke up. I had a nightmare so I came out here. I didn't really hear much. Just that she belongs with her real mother. Who were you two talking about?" I mewed. Tigerclaw sighed.

"Don't worry about it. It doesn't matter. Just go back to sleep." he murmured. I nodded, afraid of upsetting him and padded back to the nursery. I settled back in my place in Goldenflower's fur. I sighed and tried to sleep.

Light filtered through the den. My eyes flitted open and I let out a yawn while stretching my back. Goldenflower and my siblings were outside. I padded out and saw them basking in the sun. I padded to them with my tail held high. Bramblekit was snoring loudly and Goldenflower was dozing peacefully with her tail over her ears while Tawnykit was struggling to hold her temper. "Why can't he sleep quietly?! You two are the most loudest, disruptive sleepers in all the clans!" she snapped, holding her paws to her ears. I chuckled and looked around.

"Where's Tigerclaw?" I asked.

"He went with Bluestar, Lionheart, and Graypaw to go find Firepaw." Tawnykit explained. "Lucky furballs. They don't get to suffer from Bramblekit's snoring." I purred and settled beside her. Spottedleaf was sharing tongues with Whitestorm under the High Rock while Cinderkit and Brackenkit were playing with Frostfur's fluffy tail. Mousefur, Runningwind, and Willowpelt were watching the younger kits with amusement. Then rustling sounded by the entrance. I looked over to see Bluestar and the others walk through. Firepaw's head was hung low in shame and Tigerclaw was fuming. Then a gray she-cat with a flat face and matted gray fur limped through. I gasped when I saw her. Goldenflower jumped up and watched them while Bramblekit still snored loudly. I swiped his muzzle causing him to snort awake.

"Wha-?" he began before looking at the patrol. He jumped to his paws and I watched as Bluestar jumped onto the High Rock.

"Cats old enough to hunt their prey, gather beneath the High Rock for a clan meeting!" she called. The rest of the clan padded out of their dens and gathered beneath the High Rock. Murmurs filled the air when they saw the stranger. "This is Yellowfang, Shadowclan's medicine cat."

"Shadowclan's _former_ medicine cat." Yellowfang corrected. Bluestar glared at her.

"We found her injured in our territory with Firepaw." she announced.

"Feeding her _our_ prey!" Tigerclaw added. Gasps sounded in the clearing. Firepaw's head sagged lower. I felt sorry for him. Bluestar looked at Tigerclaw then turned back to the clan.

"Yes, he was feeding her our prey. And he will be punished for his mistake." she stated. Then she turned to Firepaw. "Do you realize what you have done?" Firepaw forced his head up and met her gaze bravely.

"I broke the warrior code by helping her when she was trespassing and I broke it further more when I fed her our prey." he answered. Bluestar narrowed her eyes.

"Good. Your punishment will be to look after Yellowfang and feed her until she is healed. Until then you will be the last to get your prey from the fresh-kill pile. Do you understand?" she said. Firepaw nodded. "Then get to it." Firepaw led Yellowfang to a broken down log that had moss clinging to it while Bluestar jumped down from the High Rock and the clan was dismissed. Bramblekit snickered and I shoved him as Firepaw grew near.

"Stop being mean! If you were in his paws, you would be begging cats to help you." I snapped. Firepaw blinked to me in thanks before padding to Spottedleaf's den. Bramblekit scoffed and padded over to Yellowfang while Goldenflower settled down to doze off. I widened my eyes. "Bramblekit do you have bees in your brain?" Bramblekit rolled his eyes and gave me a teasing look.

"Don't tell me you're scared of an old flea bag!" he sneered. I glared at him.

"I'm not scared! I just don't want to get in trouble." I snapped. Bramblekit scoffed and continued making his way to Yellowfang. Me and Tawnykit shared a look then followed. "Why were you in our territory?" Bramblekit demanded when he was a tail length away from her. I quickened my pace before something bad happened. Yellowfang glared at him.

"Get lost, you furball. It's bad enough I'm stuck here." she muttered. Bramblekit didn't back down.

"And who's fault is that? Maybe if you had just stayed back in Shadowclan, then you wouldn't be here." he snapped. Yellowfang growled.

"Bramblekit…" Tawnykit began.

"Listen here, you ignorant little mouse. I tried to be nice but clearly, nice doesn't work for you so I'll say it my way. Leave me alone before I shred you into tiny little pieces then eat you. Or if you're lucky, the crows can have you!" Yellowfang snarled. Bramblekit's eyes widened and he scampered away.

"Goldenflower!" he wailed. Me and Tawnykit watched Yellowfang. She bared her teeth at us making my fur bristle.

"Bramblekit, wait for us!" I called following him along with Tawnykit. I heard Yellowfang's chuckle as she watched us run. Goldenflower was fully awake and now comforting the terrified Bramblekit.

"There, there. That big nasty cat isn't going to lay a claw on you." she murmured. Then in a extra loud voice she added, "Because if she does, then I'll rip her limbs off and shove them down her throat!" Then she lowered her voice when she saw his fur bristle even more. "You get the point." she murmured stroking her tail over his back. I padded up to them.

"I tried to tell him it wasn't a good idea." I said. Goldenflower chuckled and licked our heads.

I settled in our nest as everyone was slowly going back to their normal duties. Tigerclaw went with Bluestar, Firepaw, Graypaw, and Ravenpaw to the Moonstone. They've been gone for a while. I sighed and snuggled my nose into my paws and closed my eyes. Then a battle cry sounded. I jumped to my paws with my fur bushed out as thundering paws sounded in the camp. Goldenflower and the other queens hustled the kits to a corner while I looked out the den. Cats were filing through the entrance with a dark tom with a crooked tail. Then a familiar tom came into view. _Clawface!_

"There she is!"


	6. Chapter 5

I squeaked in fear as cats lunged for me. I ran back inside the nursery while Goldenflower and Brindleface clawed them away. Frostfur and Speckletail comforted the younger kits as they began to mewl in fear. Cinderkit snuggled up against me. "We're going to die!" she wailed. I licked her fluffy gray head comfortingly.

"No, we're not. Goldenflower and Brindleface won't let those crow food eaters in." I murmured. Then scraping sounded behind us. I looked back to see the wall give way. A white tom with jet black paws looked down on us. Frostfur and Speckletail leapt at him but two more cats leapt through the hole. The white tom lifted me into his jaws while two more warriors grabbed Cinderkit and Brackenkit. "Help!" I whimpered. Goldenflower looked at me and gasped.

"The kits!" she cried. Then the cats ran out of the hole and to the entrance. The brown tom with a broken tail beckoned everyone to retreat.

"Shadowclan! Retreat!" he called. Then the cats fled out the tunnel.

"Help! Goldenflower!" I cried. Goldenflower began to give chase but a tom swiped her to the ground. Blood pooled out of her shoulder as his claws striked. "No!" I whimpered. Then we were gone. The white tom carrying me was struggling to keep me in his jaws as my hindquarters slapped against his paws. Then a dark reeking path came into view. Shadowclan waited a while then ran across. The oak trees turned into pine as we went further into their territory. Cinderkit and Brackenkit whimpered in fear. Then bushes with two cats guarding them came into view. The Shadowclan cats padded through and the two guards looked at me through narrowed eyes. Murmurs filled the air when we came in. The cats placed me and the two kits down in front of a huge rock. I cuddled the two younger kits together and wrapped my tail around them protectively. Cinderkit whimpered into my fur as a tom bent to sniff us.

"I thought we were only getting this one." he pointed out. The tom with a broken tail jumped onto the rock.

"We wanted to give Thunderclan a message." he said. Then he looked down on us. I glared at him and held my head high. "Welcome to Shadowclan, kits. I am Brokenstar. This is your new home."

"Our home is Thunderclan!" I squeaked. Brokenstar snickered.

"I like your bravery little one. Shows that you truly are a Shadowclan cat." he chuckled. I froze and felt my heart skip a beat.

"I'm Thunderclan!" I snapped. Brokenstar shook his head. Then he beckoned to a creamy tabby she-cat with spotted fur.

"You were stolen from us a long time ago. This is your mother, Dawncloud." Brokenstar said. I looked at them with wide eyes.

"Hello, Leopardkit. It's been a while." Dawncloud murmured with happiness and pride dancing in her eyes. "You've grown so much." My heart was beating faster and my mind was whirling.

"But… but Goldenflower's my mother! She was there when I was born! She's the one who gave birth to me!" I protested. Dawncloud shook her head.

"Tigerclaw took you away and gave you to Goldenflower when she was giving birth. Your father wanted you badly but I knew that you belong here with me." she said. I shook my head. _No… I can't be! I'm not half-clan! I won't believe it!_

"Take us back home! I don't want anything to do with Shadowclan! I'm Thunderclan through and through! You're just lying so I can go against my own clan! Well it's not working!" I snarled. Brokenstar lowered his ears.

"You belong here!" he snarled. Then a group of elders padded through the entrance.

"Brokenstar. We found this cat in our territory." a black tom rasped. Brokenstar took his gaze away from me then to the stranger. _Yellowfang!_ I looked around and saw a flash of orange fur run through the bushes around the camp. _Firepaw! They came to rescue us!_ I tried to look for Tigerclaw but there wasn't any sign of him.

"What are you doing here?" Brokenstar snarled, glaring at Yellowfang. The remaining Shadowclan cats padded out of their dens to see what was going on. Yellowfang looked around then yowled loudly. Thunderclan cats burst out of their places and attacked the cats around us. Whitestorm, Mousefur, Darkstripe, Runningwind, Graypaw, Willowpelt, and Firepaw were in the patrol. Tigerclaw wasn't with them. Whitestorm tackled Brokenstar to the ground and they wrestled beneath the rock. Yellowfang ran to me and the kits and beckoned us to the entrance.

"Come on! We have to get you out of here!" she hissed. I helped the two kits stumble around the fighting cats as we made our way to the entrance.

"They're stealing the kits!" a cat howled. Dawncloud bounded over to us. As Yellowfang jumped in front of us to deal with Dawncloud, I pushed the two kits to the entrance while dodging tumbling cats. We finally made it and we hid in a bush. Then Brokenstar bounded through the entrance with some warriors at his heels. I shushed the kits and watched as he stopped in front of the bush.

"This isn't over! I will get my revenge!" he snarled behind him. Then he ran into the forest followed by his warriors. Firepaw ran out the camp and looked around.

"Leopardkit!" he called. I peeked my head out of the bush.

"Over here!" I whispered. Firepaw looked at me then padded over.

"Are the kits safe?" he asked. I nodded beckoning them out. Cinderkit stumbled out first then Brackenkit followed. I walked out and saw Yellowfang walking over to them.

"Any injuries?" she asked. I sniffed myself but couldn't find any trace of blood or wounds. I shook my head and watched as she nuzzled the kits. Then she sighed in relief. "They're fine." she announced. Whitestorm and the others came out.

"We must be on our way." he said. Then he lifted me up while Mousefur and Runningwind picked up the other two. I sighed and looked at the trees around me. _I have to ask Tigerclaw about Dawncloud. They have to be lying. I know it._


	7. Chapter 6

Whitestorm and the others padded through the camp. Spottedleaf and Lionheart's bodies were in the middle of the clearing and I gasped when I saw them. _No…_ Goldenflower and Tigerclaw, along with my siblings, ran up to me. Whitestorm placed me down and I was met with nuzzles and questions. "Are you alright?" Goldenflower asked.

"What did they tell you?" Tigerclaw included.

"Were they scary?" Tawnykit added.

"Did they stink?" Bramblekit pressed.

"What did they tell you?" Tigerclaw repeated, his voice sounding more impatient. I shrank away from them as they gotten closer.

"Give her some space!" Bluestar snapped. I sighed and looked at Tigerclaw. He looked at me with worry then beckoned me to follow him. I padded after him as he led me to a quiet area.

"What did they tell you?" he asked once again.

"Who's Dawncloud? Brokenstar told me she was my mother and she told me I was taken away." I said. Tigerclaw's fur bristled. "It's not true… is it?" I asked with fear.

"No, of course not. They're lying. Your real mother is Goldenflower. They just told you that so you would go against us." Tigerclaw said. I sighed with relief. Then he led me to the others and Bluestar was on the High Rock.

"I have spoken with Yellowfang and she has agreed to be our new medicine cat." she announced. Cheers sounded around us. "But that is not all I have to share." Then she turned her gaze on Firepaw and Graypaw. "Firepaw and Graypaw, come here." Graypaw looked at her in surprise then walked to her with Firepaw. "You two have fought bravely in battle and I have no better way to reward you other than giving you your warrior names." Bluestar announced. I watched with wide eyes as she looked at the brightest star in Silverpelt. "I, Bluestar, leader of Thunderclan, would like you to look down on these two apprentices. They have trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and I would like you to make them warriors in return." Then she looked down on the two excited apprentices. "Firepaw and Graypaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend this clan, even at the cost of your lives?" she asked. Firepaw and Graypaw lifted their heads with pride.

"I do." Graypaw said.

"I do." Firepaw repeated. Bluestar nodded then puffed out her chest.

"Then by the power of Starclan, I give you your warrior names." she said. "Graypaw, from this moment on, you will be known as Graystripe. Starclan honors your bravery and strength and we welcome you as a new warrior of Thunderclan." Bluestar rested her chin on Graystripe's muzzle and he licked her shoulder in return. Then she turned to Firepaw as Graystripe took a step back. "Firepaw from this moment on, you will be known as Fireheart. Starclan honors your bravery and strength and we welcome you as a new warrior of Thunderclan." As she repeated what she did with Graystripe, the clan broke out into cheers.

"Fireheart! Graystripe! Fireheart! Graystripe!" they cheered. I joined in with my tail held high. _I'm so proud of Fireheart! He proved his loyalty today and the clan will respect him and his kittypet roots. Hopefully…_ Bluestar turned to me.

"There are also three new apprentices I must name." she said. My breath got caught in my throat. "Leopardkit, Tawnykit, and Bramblekit, come here." Bramblekit and Tawnykit squealed in delight and raced each other to Bluestar. I gaped at her and Tigerclaw nuzzled me to her.

"She isn't going to wait there forever." he chuckled. I shook my head in embarrassment then slowly walked over to her. Bluestar looked down on us with pride.

"From this moment forward, you will be known as Leopardpaw, Bramblepaw, and Tawnypaw." she announced. Then she looked through the gathered warriors. "Runningwind, you will mentor Tawnypaw. Teach her the skills of a warrior and how to care for her clan through the darkest hours." Runningwind padded to Tawnypaw and they touched noses. Then they stepped back to the others. "Willowpelt, you will mentor Bramblepaw. And Mousefur, you will mentor Leopardpaw." Me and Bramblepaw padded up to our mentors and touched noses. Then the clan began to cheer our new names.

"We'll take you three out to see the territory in the morning. I think we all deserve some rest." Runningwind mewed. I bounced in excitement but froze as I remembered Lionheart.

"Who's our new deputy if Lionheart is dead?" I asked quietly. Mousefur's gaze darkened in grief.

"Oh Lionheart…" she murmured. Willowpelt rested her tail on her shoulder comfortingly.

"Tigerclaw's our new deputy." she answered. My eyes widened in excitement.

"Really?" I exclaimed. Willowpelt nodded and I ran over to Tigerclaw.

"Congratulations, Tigerclaw! I heard you're our new deputy!" I exclaimed. Tigerclaw purred.

"Thank you Leopardpaw. And congratulations to you as well." he said. I purred and looked around.

"Where's Ravenpaw?" I asked. Tigerclaw's eyes were full of rage when I said that name but his voice was gentle.

"He was killed by a Shadowclan patrol." he answered softly. I gasped.

"Not Ravenpaw too..." I murmured. Tigerclaw sighed and padded to Bluestar's den. I looked at the darkening sky. _The gathering's tomorrow!_ I smiled and padded away to my new den. Sandpaw and Dustpaw were there excitedly welcoming us in the den.

"This is going to be so much fun! We'll go hunting and training and fighting together!" Sandpaw exclaimed. I purred and settled in my new nest.

"I'm really excited for the gathering." I yawned. Bramblepaw and Tawnypaw nodded their head excitedly.

"I wonder what the other clans are like!" Tawnypaw purred. While everyone was chattering away, I settled my head on my paws and sighed. Then I closed my eyes and went to sleep.


	8. Chapter 7

I jumped awake to find myself in the apprentices' den. The others were outside with their mentors. I sighed and padded out. Mousefur was with Runningwind and Willowpelt along with my littermates. Then she turned her gaze to me. "It's about time you woke up! We're on our way to see the territory." Mousefur purred. I curled my tail in excitement and ran to them.

"Then let's go! We're wasting daylight!" I exclaimed. Then I raced my siblings to the entrance. I burst out into the forest and breathed in all the scents. The trees towered over me and birds were singing their melodies. The grass was soft under my paws as I stepped further out into the woods. Mousefur padded to my side and Runningwind and Willowpelt followed.

"Let's split up so we can cover more ground." Willowpelt suggested. Everyone nodded and led their apprentices to different parts of the forest. I bounced excitedly along Mousefur's side.

"What are we going to see first?" I asked. Mousefur looked up at a hill in thought.

"Let's climb up here." she said. I raced her up the hill and looked out over the territory. I stared in awe at the view. Mousefur sat down and looked over everything. Then she pointed her tail to the edge of the forest where weird looking dens with red and brown roofs were. "Over there's the Twoleg place. That's where kittypets and Twolegs live with their monsters and dogs." Mousefur explained. I wrinkled my nose.

"Why do kittypets want to live there? Why can't they just live in the forest like the rest of us?" I asked. Mousefur purred.

"That's a good question. The kittypets aren't comfortable in the forest like us wild cats. They don't understand or agree with our customs and code so they just stay with Twolegs to be pampered and fat." Mousefur answered. I scoffed and rolled my eyes.

"Fireheart must've gotten sick of those soft cats." I chuckled. Mousefur purred in amusement.

"I guess he did." she purred. Then she pointed her tail over to a large area with rocks and shadows. "That's Snake Rocks. You must never go over there because there are adders and they are very dangerous." she said. I widened my eyes at the sight. Mousefur looked to see if I was paying attention then turned to a sandy clearing. "That's the Sandy Hollow. That's where you and the other apprentices will train hunting and battle skills. We train there because it's soft so if we fall, we won't hurt ourselves." I bounced with excitement.

"Can we train there now?" I asked. Mousefur purred.

"Tomorrow. Right now we need to finish the tour of our territory." Mousefur said. Then she pointed her tail to Four Trees. "That's-"

"Four Trees!" I interrupted. "That's where the gatherings are! And there's a gathering tonight!" Mousefur gave me an amused look and chuckled.

"Right. Let's go see the territory in person instead of looking at it." she said.

I ran through the camp with a smile. _That was awesome! I can't wait to go training tomorrow!_ Mousefur padded to my siblings' mentors and I ran to the others. Sandpaw and Dustpaw were sharing tongues while Bramblepaw and Tawnypaw were wrestling. I jumped on top of them making them squeal in surprise. "I'm back!" I exclaimed. Bramblepaw shook me off.

"Took you long enough." he muttered. "Me and Tawnypaw were just playing."

"I won by the way." Tawnypaw said. Bramblepaw gaped at her.

"Did not! I did!" he snapped.

"Actually I did because I gave both of you a surprise attack." I pointed out. Bramblepaw scowled while Tawnypaw wriggled her haunches.

"Surprise attack this!" she growled playfully. Then she leapt at me. I fell back as she tackled me to the ground and we rolled around. Bramblepaw chuckled and joined in. I pawed Bramblepaw's head and felt Tawnypaw's teeth gently biting on my tail. I squealed as Bramblepaw wiggled under my belly. Then he jumped up making me fly into the air. I stuck my paws out and landed on him belly first. Bramblepaw grunted and fell. Then Tawnypaw climbed on top of me and puffed out her chest. "I won this fight!" she declared. I shook her off and jumped to the side.

"You may have won the fight, but you didn't win the war!" I growled. Then I stood on the tree stump and towered over them. "I am Leopardstar! Hear me roar!" Then I let out my most best battle cry. "Leopardclan! Attack!" I howled. Then I jumped onto my siblings. Sandpaw and Dustpaw purred in amusement. I pawed away Bramblepaw as he tried to leap at me. Then Tawnypaw tackled me to the ground and pinned me down.

"Well Leopardstar, it looks like I won this war once more! Tawnyclan will never be defeated!" Tawnypaw snickered.

"Not if I can help it! Brambleclan! Attack!" Bramblepaw snarled. Then he tackled Tawnypaw to the ground. I took the chance and grabbed his tail and swung him to the side. Bramblepaw let out a surprised squeak and landed on the ground with a thud. I jumped on top of him and looked down into his face. Then Tawnypaw leapt at me but I knocked her down.

"You are both defeated! Leopardclan has won!" I howled. Dustpaw and Sandpaw cheered.

"That was an intense war you three. You all did well." Sandpaw purred. Dustpaw nodded in agreement. Then Bluestar jumped onto the High Rock.

"Cats of Thunderclan! Gather to hear my words!" she yowled. I scrambled off of Bramblepaw and ran to listen to Bluestar. The cats gathered around and my littermates sat beside me. "The gathering is going to start. I must choose the cats coming with me." she announced. Me and my siblings were wriggling in excitement. "Fireheart, Graystripe, Swiftpaw, Longtail, Mousefur, Runningwind, Willowpelt, Goldenflower, Patchpelt, Smallear, Halftail, Bramblepaw, Tawnypaw, and Leopardpaw. You will go with me to the gathering." Bluestar announced. I bounced in excitement and followed the others to the entrance. Tigerclaw and Goldenflower were walking beside me and my littermates as we chattered and bounced around in excitement.

"This is going to be awesome! I can't wait to meet the other clans!" Tawnypaw exclaimed. I bounced beside her with a bright smile.

"I wonder what the leaders are like." I mewed. Then Four Trees came into view. I widened my eyes and scampered ahead.

"Leopardpaw!" Goldenflower called.

"Wait for us, you furball!" Tawnypaw called, scampering after me with Bramblepaw. I stopped when I reached Bluestar. Bluestar gave me an amused purr and stepped through. I followed with my head and tail held high like a true Thunderclan cat. I looked around with wide eyes. _Riverclan and Shadowclan are here!_ I waited for Tawnypaw and Bramblepaw then scampered to a group of apprentices.

"Hi!" I beamed. Tawnypaw and Bramblepaw stood by my side and looked at the apprentices in greetings. A gray tabby with a white chest and paws, looked at me. He had amber eyes that sparkled.

"Hello. I'm Riverpaw from Riverclan. What's your name?" he asked.

"I'm Leopardpaw. These are my littermates, Tawnypaw and Bramblepaw. We're from Thunderclan." I said with a friendly smile. Then I felt a pair of eyes lock on me. I looked around to see Dawncloud. Her eyes were filled with quiet pride. My pelt twitched and I looked away.

"Is this your first gathering?" Riverpaw asked.

"Yep! Is it your's?" Tawnypaw answered. Riverpaw nodded. I looked at the other apprentices. Two were from Shadowclan while the others are from Riverclan. The Shadowclan apprentices looked at me as they wanted to say something but weren't sure. I puffed out my chest. _I'm not gonna let those cats get to me!_ I turned to everyone.

"Who wants to hear a story?" I asked. Riverpaw tipped his head in curiosity.

"Isn't that the elders' task?" he purred in amusement. I rolled my eyes and flicked his ear with my tail.

"I can tell stories just like an elder!" I declared. Then I jumped on a small rock and sat down. The apprentices gathered around to listen. I tried to think of something and my eyes lit up as I figured it out. "Here's a time when I had led my clan into battle." I said looking at Bramblepaw and Tawnypaw. Their eyes were confused until they remembered our little play fight. I stood up with my tail held high and my chest puffed out. "It was a beautiful day in the forest. Birds were singing in the trees and mice were sniffing under the roots of flowers. I was leading my clan, Leopardclan through the forest. We were going out for a clan outing. Then all of a sudden, Tawnyclan and Brambleclan scents filled my nose from different directions. I quickly hid the elders and kits as I sensed them coming nearer." I murmured creeping around the apprentices. I sensed the clearing was silent but I was too busy telling my story to notice. "Then Tawnystar appeared. 'Tawnystar! What are you doing in our territory?' I growled. Tawnystar puffed out her chest like she owned the place. 'We came to take back our hunting grounds Leopardstar! And you can't stop us!' she declared. I leapt at Tawnystar," I leapt onto the rock to exaggerate. "And my clan followed me into battle. Then Bramblestar appeared. 'You are both fools! We have come to steal these hunting grounds! Brambleclan will never be defeated!' he yowled. Then he jumped onto my back as I bit down on Tawnystar's tail. Screeching sounded around the clearing as we fought. Blood was spilled and lives were lost. It wasn't long before I was towering over Bramblestar and Tawnystar pinning them down with my own two paws." I said swishing my tail over my littermates. "'You are both defeated! Leopardclan will rule the forest just like always! My clan is the best! We will never be defeated!'" I declared flicking my ear in satisfaction as I looked at the apprentices. Their eyes were wide and they were leaning in.

"What happened next?" Riverpaw asked. I smiled.

"Leopardclan was never defeated in a battle and they kept their hunting grounds. The two clans never came to attack because they know, Leopardclan is watching. And they will fight 'til the last breath." I said lifting my muzzle into the air.

"That was a great story, Leopardpaw." a voice sounded above me. I looked up to see Bluestar with the other leaders on the Great Rock. I ducked my head in embarrassment as I saw all the clans staring at me. Bluestar's eyes glittered in amusement. "Now can we start the gathering or is there another story to tell?" she purred. I smiled with embarrassment.

"We can start the gathering. Sorry, Bluestar." I chuckled nervously. Bluestar purred along with the other leaders. The Riverclan leader was a brown tabby tom with a crooked jaw. The new Shadowclan leader was a black tom. I sat next to Riverpaw and my littermates as I watched. Bluestar step forward.

"Congratulations Nightstar on becoming the new leader of Shadowclan. I hope your years as leader will be bright." she murmured. Nightstar smiled and gave her a grateful nod.

"Thank you, Bluestar." he purred. Bluestar nodded then turned to the clans.

"Thunderclan is doing well. Tigerclaw is the new deputy. We also have two new warriors, Fireheart and Graystripe." Bluestar announced. Cheers sounded.

"Fireheart! Graystripe!" the clans cheered. Then Bluestar looked at me.

"We also have three new apprentices. Leopardpaw, Tawnypaw, and Bramblepaw." she announced. I beamed with pride as the clans cheered our names. Bluestar raised her tail for silence. Then she beckoned to Nightstar and he stepped forward.

"Brokenstar is now a rogue. He has abused his clan so we had no choice but to chase him out. Other than that, Shadowclan is thriving well. Cinderfur is our new deputy." he announced looking at Bluestar. His eyes looked unsure as if he should bring up something but he bit his tongue. The Riverclan leader noticed this too and looked at Nightstar.

"Is that all, Nightstar?" he asked. Nightstar opened his mouth then sighed.

"Yes, Crookedstar. Sorry." he said. Crookedstar nodded then stepped forward.

"Riverclan is doing well. Leopardfur is the new deputy of Riverclan. We also have a new apprentice, Riverpaw." Crookedstar announced. I cheered along with the other clans. Riverpaw ducked his head in embarrassment. "Prey is running well and I'm sure we will all be thriving well now that Windclan is gone." Crookedstar added. Nightstar nodded.

"Yes. There will be enough prey for all the clans!" he exclaimed.

"No!" Bluestar snapped. I widened my eyes. "Windclan must return!" Crookedstar gaped at her.

"Do you have bees in your brain? Our clans will be well fed from now on!" he snapped. Tigerclaw growled from his place with the other deputies.

"Bluestar is right! Windclan must return." he growled. I puffed out my chest in pride. _Tigerclaw is a great deputy._ Bluestar nodded to Tigerclaw then turned to the other leaders.

"We need four clans. Starclan has given us four clans, just like they given us four trees and four seasons." she said.

"Wouldn't you rather not have leaf bare with all the cold and hunger it brings?" Crookedstar snarled.

"Starclan has given us leaf bare so the trees can rest and recover. The prey rest so they can have enough energy to go hunting for food which will let us hunt them down." Bluestar meowed. Crookedstar growled.

"Fine. Windclan can return. But until then, I will let my warriors hunt in their territory." he said. Then his teeth bared. "I hope you won't interfere Bluestar. I would hate for someone to get hurt." he snarled. I bristled as tension filled the space between them. Bluestar stayed calm.

"My warriors have no business with Riverclan. As long as you stay out of our territory then none of your cats will get hurt since you're so concerned." Bluestar sniffed. _She's talking about Sunning Rocks._ I smiled as Crookedstar growled. "Then the gathering is over. Unless there is something that you two still need to share?" Bluestar said. The leaders shook their head. Bluestar jumped down from the rock and beckoned the clan to our territory. I turned to Riverpaw.

"Bye, Riverpaw!" I exclaimed, touching noses with him.

"Bye, Leopardpaw! Great story by the way!" he meowed. I flicked my tail.

"I don't try. It comes naturally." I smirked. Riverpaw scoffed in amusement and followed his clan. I waved my tail after him then followed my clan out of the clearing. _Riverpaw seems nice. And he's not as braggy or full of smug like the other Riverclan cats._ My tail twitched as I thought about the curious Riverclan apprentice.


	9. Chapter 8

We finally made it to camp and I was exhausted. I yawned and padded to my den. Sandpaw and Dustpaw were already there, snoring softly. I plopped on my nest and closed my eyes.

I woke up to a sunny clearing. I looked around and saw Tigerclaw with… _Dawncloud?_ They were purring in happiness as they snuggled under the sun's warmth. My paws were frozen as I watched them. _What are they doing? What about Goldenflower?_ I forced my paws to move but was swept away by a wave of water. I spat out the water and saw rain pouring down over a black, reeking path. I looked over to see Tigerclaw running over the path with a leopard bundle in his jaws. _Is that… me?_ The path had water flooding it but Tigerclaw ran through it with ease. I followed him as he ran to camp but a dog blocked my way. I screeched in fear and another followed. I turned around to see Dawncloud cornered against a tree. The dog was snarling at her and crept right through me. Then a battle cry sounded and I looked up to see Tigerclaw. He looked younger and the scar on his muzzle was gone. _This must be before I was born!_ Tigerclaw attacked the dog and led it away from Dawncloud. It was silent for a while then he came back with a scratch on his shoulder. "Are you alright?" he asked. Dawncloud nodded, stunned by what just happened. "Where did you come from?"

"Sh-Shadowclan." Dawncloud stammered. Tigerclaw sighed and beckoned her to a hollowed out tree. Rain started to pour as they climbed up the tree and into the hole. I followed and peeked inside. Tigerclaw was licking Dawncloud with long comforting strokes. Their purrs filled the tree drowning out the clapping thunder outside. I couldn't watch anymore. I looked away and climbed down the tree. I slowly walked through the drenched forest as the rain plastered my long fur to my sides.

"What's the matter, Leopardpaw?" a soft mew sounded. I looked up to see Spottedleaf. I avoided her gaze and looked at my paws.

"Why are you showing me this?" I asked quietly.

"It's something you've should've known a long time ago." Spottedleaf meowed. I looked at her.

"I'm not half-clan! Tigerclaw is loyal to his clan and Goldenflower is my mother! Dawncloud is not a kin of mine! She means nothing to me!" I snarled. Spottedleaf sighed.

"Don't forget Redtail's prophecy, Leopardpaw. You may think Tigerclaw is loyal but-"

"Tigerclaw _is_ loyal! He avenged Redtail's death! He defended Bluestar at the gathering! He helped the clan through their darkest moments! He _deserves_ to be deputy!" I protested. Spottedleaf sighed.

"Beware who you trust." she murmured before fading into the air. Then another voice followed.

_"A trusted warrior with the claws of a tiger will lead the clan through darkness. A warrior with the heart of a leopard but the courage of a lion will shine through and peace to the clans will be restored once more. But beware. A warrior seeking revenge… is an enemy to all the clans."_

__  
"Wake up! Leopardpaw! We need to go training, you sleepy furball!" a voice snapped. I jerked awake to see Tawnypaw in my face. "I don't think she's waking up. Bramblepaw, you know what to do." Then a sudden piercing weight slammed on my tail. I yelped in pain and jumped to my paws. Bramblepaw was smiling with smug as he watched me lap at my tail. I growled and stomped out of the den. Mousefur was there waiting for me.

"We need to train you for hunting." Mousefur said. I nodded and followed her out the tunnel entrance. Fireheart and Graystripe bounded past us in urgency. Me and Mousefur watched them weirdly. "Ok…?" she murmured. I rolled my eyes and followed her to the sandy hollow. Runningwind and Willowpelt were already there.

"Where's Tawnypaw and Bramblepaw?" Willowpelt asked. Before I could answer, Tawnypaw and Bramblepaw bounded through. "Good you're all here." Runningwind padded in front of us.

"You three need to learn how to begin stalking." he announced. I looked at him with interest as he prodded a ball of moss into the clearing. Then he looked at us. "Now what do you think is the first thing we do before we begin hunting?" he asked. Bramblepaw bounced with excitement and raised his tail. Runningwind nodded his head to him.

"We get in the hunters crouch." Bramblepaw squeaked.

"That's one of the things we do but it's not the first." Runningwind said. I thought about it. "Think about scents and sounds."

"We move downwind?" I suggested. Runningwind purred.

"Good. And then we begin the hunters crouch." he said. I flicked my tail as I watched Runningwind get in the hunters crouch. "See how I put all my strength into my haunches? That's so I can get a powerful leap at my prey."

"Now you three try." Mousefur meowed. I took a deep breath and began to crouch forward. Mousefur walked around me with observing eyes. "Lift your tail up a little so you won't stir the leaves behind you. And tuck in your paws a little." she instructed. I did as I was told and a fresh scent washed over my nose.

"Riverclan!" I exclaimed. Mousefur pricked her ears and sniffed the air.

"She's right." Mousefur announced. Then a Riverclan patrol padded through. Crookedstar was in the lead along with their medicine cat Mudfur and Riverpaw. My ears twitched when I saw him. Runningwind stepped up to them.

"Greetings, Crookedstar. Is something wrong with Riverclan?" he asked, dipping his head.

"There's nothing wrong. Mudfur needs some tansy and he can't find any in our territory. Can we speak to Yellowfang?" Crookedstar said. Runningwind dipped his head then flicked his tail. I followed along the Riverclan patrol beside Riverpaw.

"Hi, Riverpaw!" I purred. Riverpaw smiled.

"Hey, Leopardpaw. Got another story to tell?" he asked. I flicked my ears.

"I always got a story to tell." I chuckled. Riverpaw's eyes shone in excitement. "Just not at the moment." His head drooped in disappointment. I purred and flicked his ear with my tail."Don't worry. I'm sure I'll have another story by the next gathering."

"But that's a whole moon away!" Riverpaw protested. I rolled my eyes and turned to the front. Crookedstar was watching us thoughtfully. I turned away and shrugged it off. Then we made it to the camp. We walked through the tunnel and Bluestar was under the High Rock sharing tongues with Whitestorm and Yellowfang.

"Bluestar!" Runningwind called. Bluestar pricked her ears and looked up. She padded over to the patrol. "Mudfur would like to speak with Yellowfang." Runningwind reported. Yellowfang came up.

"Greetings Mudfur." she rasped. Mudfur dipped his head.

"I came to ask for some tansy. I can't seem to find any in our territory." Mudfur said. Yellowfang beckoned him to follow her to the medicine den. As they walked away, I felt a paw jab at my flank with sheathed claws. I turned over to see Riverpaw with a playful look in his eyes. I purred then growled playfully.

"You don't know what you got yourself into." I growled playfully. Then I leapt at him. Riverpaw squealed in surprise and pawed my head with sheathed claws. I bit his paw softly and he purred.

"You won't win!" he declared. I scoffed and pinned him down.

"I already did." I snickered. Then Riverpaw's tail wiggled under my belly. I squealed and fell back. Riverpaw jumped onto me and held me down. "Get off me, you big lump!" I squealed.

"This settles it! I have won!" Riverpaw chuckled. I growled playfully.

"We're coming Leopardpaw!" a playful growl sounded near me. I looked over to see Tawnypaw and Bramblepaw scampering over to us. Riverpaw squealed in protest as they tackled him down. I shook the dust out my fur then joined in.

"You four are getting under everyone's paws!" a snap sounded above us. I looked up to see Tigerclaw. I immediately stopped and lowered my head in shame.

"We're sorry, Tigerclaw." I murmured. Tigerclaw's glare was focused on Riverpaw. My fur fluffed out defensively. "We were just playing." Tigerclaw looked at me.

"With a Riverclan cat." he growled.

"He's my friend! Friends always play with each other!" I protested. Tigerclaw growled and Goldenflower walked up to him.

"You know she wouldn't do that." she murmured. "And besides, you're not the one to judge if she did." _Did what?_ Tigerclaw hissed.

"That's exactly why. I don't want her to make the same mistake." he muttered. I tipped my head in confusion.

"What are you talking about?" I asked. Tigerclaw waved his tail in dismissal.

"Don't get under any cat's paws from now on or you'll be searching the clan for ticks. I heard One-eye's been scratching a lot lately." he said. I shivered.

"Yes, Tigerclaw." I said. Then I led the others near the entrance. Crookedstar and Mudfur padded up to us and Mudfur's jaws were full of tansy.

"Well thank you Yellowfang for the herbs." Crookedstar called. Yellowfang waved her tail. Our mentors followed them out to the Sandy Hollow. Riverpaw touched noses with me then ran up to his patrol.

"Bye, Leopardpaw!" he called.

"Bye! See you at the next gathering!" I meowed. Then they were gone. 

Riverpaw's POV:

I followed Crookedstar to our territory. _It was great seeing Leopardpaw again. And she's quite a pawful when it comes to fighting. I would hate to meet her in battle._ "Leopardpaw seems like a nice cat." Crookedstar stated suddenly. Mudfur gave him an annoyed look.

"Crookedstar, seriously?" his snap was muffled around the tansy. Crookedstar raised his tail for silence as he looked at me. I shrank under his gaze.

"Yeah, she's alright." I murmured. Crookedstar leaned in.

"She's really pretty too, don't you think?" he meowed. My mind drifted to the lovable apprentice. Her long beautiful fur blowing through the trees as she ran. Her green eyes shining with excitement and determination.

"Yeah…" I murmured. Then Crookedstar leapt at me and pinned me down. I looked up at him in shock.

"You mustn't! She's a Thunderclan cat! You're Riverclan!" he snapped. I gaped at him.

"I didn't mean it like that!" I exclaimed. Crookedstar narrowed his eyes.

"Make sure you don't. We can't have any traitors in our clan." he growled. I flattened my ears and nodded sadly. Crookedstar's gaze softened and he got off. I slowly got up to my paws and bowed my head in shame and sadness. Crookedstar rested his tail on my shoulder. "I'm not doing this because I like it. This is part of the warrior code. You must be loyal to your clanmates. How can you do that if you love a cat from another clan?" he murmured. I sighed and lifted my head. _He's right. All I want is to be is the best and most loyal warrior Riverclan has ever seen. Even if I might never find a cat like Leopardpaw…_ "Don't worry. There's plenty of Riverclan she-cats who might be interested." Crookedstar meowed. I nodded and followed him on in silence.


	10. Chapter 9

We came back from training at sunset. I caught three mice, Tawnypaw caught a squirrel, and Bramblepaw caught two moles. We held our prey in our jaws with pride as we padded through the entrance. Tigerclaw purred when he saw us. "Good job, you three. The clan will eat well tonight." he mewed. I lifted my head higher with pride at his praise. I padded over to the fresh kill pile slowly so everyone can see my catch. Yellowfang was watching me closely. I narrowed my eyes and dropped my prey on the pile. Then I padded over to her.

"Do you need me?" I asked. Yellowfang hesitated then turned away.

"No. I was just looking at your catch." she muttered. I smiled.

"Impressive, isn't it?" I purred. Yellowfang gave a weak smile.

"Very." she rasped. Then she padded away to her den. I tilted my head in confusion as I watched her go. _What's going on with her?_ I shrugged and looked around. Tawnypaw and Bramblepaw were sharing tongues with Goldenflower while Tigerclaw was padding into Bluestar's den. I ran over to my siblings and mother.

"Have you three seen Fireheart and Graystripe? They haven't came back." I asked. Bramblepaw shrugged.

"At least it won't stink with Fireheart around." he muttered. I fluffed my fur up defensively and swiped his ear with sheathed claws.

"Be nice!" I snapped. Goldenflower purred and licked my head.

"You would make a great mother, Leopardpaw. You already have the tongue of one." she chuckled. I ducked my head in embarrassment.

"I don't know what you're talking about." I mewed. Tawnypaw rolled her eyes and licked her paw and drew it over her face. I settled next to her and licked my flank to get the dirt off. Dustpaw and Sandpaw were play fighting by the tree stump and Willowpelt was with Whitestorm by the entrance sharing tongues. I sighed and rested my head on my front paws. The sun beamed down on me making my fur glow with warmth. My eyes were slowly drooping and I finally drifted off into sleep.

Howls of agony filled the air. The clearing was black and I couldn't breathe. My paws flailed frantically around as if trying to swim up to the surface. "Help me!" a screech sounded behind me. I swirled around but didn't see anything.

"Where are you?" I called. More yowls filled my ears, choking me. I panted as I heard another screech.

"You lied to me! I trusted you!" a snarl sounded. I turned to the voice but still couldn't see. The snarl sounded just like… me.

"Your kit will be safe with me." a soft mew murmured.

"Who's kit? Who said that?" I called.

"She has his blood in her veins. She can't be trusted." a voice whispered.

"Who?" I wailed. Desperate frustration clawed at my chest. Then I felt a sudden weight on my tail. I jumped awake with a yowl and glared at my attacker. It was Bramblepaw. "Stop doing that!" I snapped. My fur was fluffed up making me look twice my size and my claws were deep in the ground.

"You kept whimpering and kicking in your sleep! You pawed me in my muzzle!" Bramblepaw snapped. I growled then felt a tongue lapping at my head. I looked up to see Goldenflower.

"Hush, Bramblepaw! She just had a nightmare." she scolded. I panted and looked down at the ground as Goldenflower smoothed my ruffled fur. _A nightmare. Yeah, that's right._ I sighed and settled back down. Then Tigerclaw padded up to us.

"I decided that you three should go on your first border patrol." he announced. I brightened up and jumped to my paws.

"Really?!" I exclaimed excitedly. Tigerclaw purred.

"Let me go get Whitestorm and we can go." he said. I bounced with excitement.

"Our first patrol!" I exclaimed. Tawnypaw rolled her eyes. Bramblepaw stood up and sighed.

"I was just about to go to sleep since _someone_ woke me up!" he snapped, looking at me. I scoffed and rolled my eyes.

"Show some spirit, you lazy lump of fur!" I retorted. Then Tigerclaw padded over with Whitestorm.

"Let's go." he said. I darted to the entrance with Tawnypaw while Bramblepaw walked beside the two warriors. We burst out into the forest and waited for the others.

"Where are we going?" Tawnypaw asked as they padded through.

"Sunning Rocks." Whitestorm mewed, stretching his back. I began to sprint in the direction of Sunning Rocks but Tigerclaw placed his paw on my tail. I fell to the ground with a grunt and looked at him.

"Stay with us." he purred. I sighed and followed them to Sunning Rocks. We padded through the bushes surrounding the rocks and to the water. I dipped a paw into the river and pulled back with a surprised squeak.

"It's cold!" I exclaimed, flicking my paw sending drops of water flying in the air. Bramblepaw snickered then shoved me into the water. I yelped as the water seeped into my long fur. I scrambled through the water until I felt pebbles under my paws. I stood up shivering while Tawnypaw and Bramblepaw were on the ground laughing their tails off. I growled and climbed onto the bank. "That wasn't funny!" I snapped. "You know my fur takes forever to dry!" I shook my fur causing water to sprinkle the air. Tawnypaw and Bramblepaw scampered away from the drops. Tigerclaw and Whitestorm were purring in amusement. Tawnypaw and Bramblepaw looked at me. Then they laughed harder. I ran to the water and looked at my reflection. My fur was fluffed out to it's fullest length in all different directions. I growled and smoothed them down.

"You look like a pine tree!" Bramblepaw teased. I rolled my eyes and looked around.

"What were you doing in our river?" a voice snapped. I looked up to see a Riverclan patrol made of three warriors. Riverpaw was one of them. I looked at them bravely and Tigerclaw ran to my side.

"I was pushed in." I explained, snapping a look at Bramblepaw. Riverpaw's eyes sparkled with amusement. The warrior who spoke didn't look amused.

"Stay out of our water!" she snapped. Her fur looked just like mine except she had golden fur and mine was hazel. Tigerclaw growled.

"You don't own all the rivers in the forest Leopardfur!" he snapped. A dark warrior stepped to her side.

"We're the only clan who can swim in them!" he snapped.

"But you're not the only clan who drinks from them!" I retorted. Tigerclaw flicked my ear with his tail. I bit my tongue and glared at the Riverclan warriors. Riverpaw waved his tail at me. I smiled and waved back. Tigerclaw saw this and stepped in front of my view while glaring at the Riverclan apprentice.

"We didn't come for trouble. We were just setting our border markers." Whitestorm meowed. The dark warrior scoffed.

"And swimming in our water." he muttered.

"Enough, Whiteclaw." Leopardfur said. Then she cast a final glare at us. "Stay out of our water or next time, we won't be so nice." she spat. Then she led her patrol away from the bank. Riverpaw looked back and caught my gaze. I smiled and flicked my ear. Riverpaw's eyes glowed and he followed his clanmates into the reeds. Tigerclaw growled and made the markers. I did the same and followed the patrol back to camp.

"Let's go hunting." Tigerclaw said. Everyone nodded and separated. I crept into the bushes with my snout in the air. Then a whiff of vole filled my nose. My mouth watered and I followed the scent into the grass. Then I saw the creature nibbling on an ant by the roots of a willow tree. I licked my lips and crept downwind. The vole didn't notice anything as it kept nibbling it's food. I placed each paw lightly in front of the other with my body low. When I was a tail length away, I pounced. The vole let out a squeal as I crushed my forepaws on it's back. I nipped it's neck and it went limp. I purred in satisfaction and gave my thanks to Starclan. "Nice catch." a mew sounded behind me. I jumped in surprise and turned to see Tigerclaw. He looked at me with a hard expression. I lowered my head at his gaze. "You're not in trouble. I just want to talk to you about something." he murmured. Then he beckoned his tail over the rock next to him. I sat on the rock and looked at him. Tigerclaw sighed and looked at me. "What's going on between you and that Riverclan cat?" I tilted my head in confusion.

"Who?" I asked.

"That Riverclan apprentice!" Tigerclaw huffed.

"Oh, Riverpaw? Nothing. We're just friends." I answered. I narrowed my eyes. Tigerclaw sighed.

"You may say that now but-"

"I'm saying that now because that's all he's ever gonna be." I interrupted. "Why are you suspecting things? You have no right to judge because of Dawncloud." I snapped. Then I gasped and widened my eyes at my words. "I mean… I didn't mean to say that… Dawncloud isn't my mother. Shadowclan is just getting to me." Tigerclaw looked down and I narrowed my eyes. "Right?" Tigerclaw sighed and looked into my eyes. My world suddenly crashed around me. I got up and walked away.

"Leopardpaw, I'm sorry." he called. I ignored him and ran away.


	11. Chapter 10

_He lied to me! Goldenflower knew all along!_ Tears welled in my eyes as I pushed past leaves and bushes. _I can't be half-clan! I just can't be!_ I blinked away my tears and made my way to the Shadowclan border. I looked both ways then crossed the path. I tried to remember the path to the Shadowclan camp.

"Stop!" a voice snarled. I stopped and looked around. A Shadowclan patrol padded out from the bushes. "What-"

"Take me to Dawncloud." I ordered. The tom flared in anger.

"Who are you to tell us what to do?" he snapped. Then a little tom nudged him.

"That's Leopardpaw, Webfoot." he murmured. Webfoot looked at me through narrowed eyes.

"Follow us." he growled. The two toms stood on each side of me as they walked to camp. I lifted my head with pride. Then the camp came into sight. We walked through and saw the clan sharing tongues. "Where's Dawncloud?" Webfoot called. Heads looked up and around. Nightstar padded over to us.

"What's going on?" he asked. Then he looked at me. "Oh. I see." I held his gaze without fear. Then pawsteps padded near. I looked over to see Dawncloud. Her eyes glowed when she saw me.

"Leopardpaw…" she breathed. I stepped back as she came closer. Dawncloud stopped in her tracks and looked at me with happiness. She had the same green eyes as me and her fur was spotted along with mine but she had a creamy orange to it. _She does look a lot similar to me then Goldenflower…_ Dawncloud beckoned to the entrance. I followed her out the camp and to a secluded area. I looked at the ground. "I know it must be hard for you knowing that you're half-clan. And I'm sorry you have to find out this way. But I just want you to know that your father and I love you very much." she murmured. "I am so proud of you and what you have become. You're a strong and independent she-cat and I'm glad that Goldenflower and Tigerclaw raised you well." I looked at her.

"You gave me away. You all made me believe in a lie. How could you?" I whispered. Dawncloud sighed.

"You were too young. You have a long life to live ahead of you and we didn't want to ruin it. I know I should've never given you away but I don't regret it. At the time, Brokenstar was still leader." she murmured. "He would've gotten you killed. I couldn't let you die so young so I gave you to Tigerclaw. And he raised you well in Thunderclan."

"Did I have any siblings?" I asked.

"There was only you." she said. I looked away. "Listen. I know that you have a lot of emotions running through you right now and those emotions might be rage and pain. But I just want you to know that I'm sorry. We all are. We never wanted to hurt you." Dawncloud murmured.

"I just need some time alone." I murmured. Dawncloud hesitated then licked my ear.

"Just remember. I will always love you." she said. Then she padded back to camp. I sighed and made my way back to my territory. 

"Leopardpaw! Where were you?" Tawnypaw asked, as I walked into camp. I forced a smile.

"Just went for a walk." I said. Goldenflower padded up to me.

"Leopardpaw, I'm so-"

"Don't bother." I muttered. Then I padded into my den. Tawnypaw followed and Bramblepaw was already in the den with Sandpaw and Dustpaw.

"They told us about Dawncloud." Bramblepaw mewed quietly. Tawnypaw nuzzled my ear.

"You're still our sister no matter what they say." she murmured. I smiled and licked both of their ears.

"Thanks." I mewed. Then we all settled down into our nest with our fur pressed against each other. I rested my head on my paws as Tawnypaw smoothed down my fur and my eyes began to close.

I was running through the forest. The leaves hung over me as I burst out of the bushes. I was at Sunning Rocks and I looked around with excitement. Then I felt fur press up against me. I looked over to see… _Riverpaw?!_ I wanted to pull back and ask what he was doing in my territory but the only thing that came out was a purr. _What?! Why am I purring when I should be asking why he's here?! And why is he going along with it?! _Riverpaw purred alongside me and brushed his fur into me. I nuzzled his chin and he licked my ears as we basked in the sunlight. _What is going on?! He's a Riverclan cat! We're just friends!_ Then he looked at me. "Leopardpaw?" he mewed. I looked at him with shimmering eyes.

"Yes, Riverpaw?" I purred. Riverpaw smiled and opened his mouth.

"Leopardpaw, wake up!" he snapped. I jumped awake to see Tawnypaw pawing my ears. The voice was her's. I jumped to my paws in embarrassment. _Did I say that out loud? Oh Starclan, please don't let her hear me say that!_ "You can't sleep all day! We have training!" I followed her out of our den and to the sandy hollow. The dream was nipping at my heart and I wanted to go back to sleep. _I want to be with Riverpaw!_ I shook my head to clear it. _No, I don't! He's a Riverclan cat and he's your friend! Don't turn into Dawncloud…_ I sighed as we made it to the hollow.

"Good, you're all here." Mousefur mewed. Bramblepaw was sitting in the clearing with his tail over his paws. I sat next to him with Tawnypaw.

"What are we doing today?" I asked.

"We're doing battle training." Willowpelt announced. I smiled and shook my dream away. _I need to focus!_ Willowpelt and Runningwind walked around us.

"Our first move is the Front Paw Strike." Runningwind said. Mousefur and Willowpelt stepped into the middle of the clearing in position. Runningwind walked up to them. "Now doing this move, we can either stay on all fours or stand on our hind legs. I prefer to stay on all fours so the enemy won't be able to attack my belly." Then he turned to us. "Can you tell me what are the most sensitive parts of a cat?" he asked. I tilted my head in thought.

"Their belly." Bramblepaw said. Runningwind nodded.

"Good. What else?" he asked.

"Oh! Their eyes and face!" I exclaimed. Mousefur purred.

"Good. What about you Tawnypaw? Anything?" Runningwind asked. Tawnypaw tipped her head.

"Their neck and tail." she said. Runningwind purred with pride.

"Good! You all named each of the sensitive areas. Now that you know that, those are the areas you protect from other enemies. Avoid contact with the neck because if they bite your neck then you'll be stuck and they might kill you. Understand?" he said. I shivered and nodded. "Remember. Warriors do not need to kill to win a battle. It is part of our code." Then he turned to Mousefur and Willowpelt. "Can you two demonstrate the Front Paw Strike, please?" he asked. Mousefur nodded and looked at Willowpelt.

"I will do the move on Willowpelt." she said. "First I'll try on my hind paws." Mousefur nodded her head to Willowpelt. Willowpelt charged to her while Mousefur balanced on her hind paws. When Willowpelt came nearer, Mousefur raised her paw and sliced it to Willowpelt's muzzle with sheathed claws. "See? But you need your claws out." Willowpelt padded back to her spot and waited for orders. "Now I'm going to show you while standing on all fours." Then she nodded once again to Willowpelt. Willowpelt charged at her and Mousefur swiped her paw to her cheek. I flicked my ears, impressed.

"Now you three try." Willowpelt said. I tried to stand on my hind paws like Mousefur. My legs quivered and I fell back on all fours. I scowled as Bramblepaw and Tawnypaw were standing perfectly on their hind paws. Mousefur was watching me intently. I sighed and tried again. My legs still quivered but I forced myself to stay on my paws. I was so focused on my quivering paws, that I wasn't paying attention to my body tilting backwards. I landed on my flank with a grunt. I growled and stood up while shaking the dust out of my fur. Mousefur padded over to me.

"Try keeping your legs spread out." she suggested. I took a deep breath then stood on my hind paws. I spread them out like she said and I was able to stand on my paws but my legs were hurting. Then Mousefur let out a soft purr of laughter. "Not that wide, you furball!" she chuckled. I rolled my eyes and shifted my paws a little closer. "That's better. Now ready your paw and swipe." she murmured. I focused on a branch that was hanging over my head. Then I raised my paw and swiped. "Good! Now try on all fours." Mousefur purred. I gladly got down and crouched. Then I leapt forward with my paw raised and swiped it on an imaginary enemy. Mousefur purred. "Good. You're a natural!" she mewed. I flicked my ears and smiled.

"I _do_ have a great mentor to teach me." I pointed out. Mousefur purred and flicked my ear with her tail.

"If everyone has it right then let's try it out." Runningwind said. I padded over to my siblings. "Now we are going to come at you as if we're going to attack. Alright?" We all nodded and readied ourselves. Mousefur crouched low then leapt at me. I stood up on my hind paws and kept my balance. Then I swiped her muzzle, sending her flying into the air. Mousefur landed on her paws and purred.

"Good! Everyone did great." Runningwind purred. "Now let's keep practicing so we can be perfect in battle."


	12. Chapter 11

I padded into the camp as the sky was darkening. My littermates and our mentors were behind us. I yawned and rubbed my eyes. Tigerclaw padded out the entrance with his patrol. He looked at me as he passed. I gave him an awkward look then padded off to my den. Sandpaw, Willowpelt, and Whitestorm followed Tigerclaw. _Poor Willowpelt. She's been training all day and now she has to go out for patrol._ I yawned and plopped down in my nest. I closed my eyes as my littermates settled down beside me.

I woke up to murmuring outside. I growled and got up. _Can't a cat sleep?_ I looked out to see Tigerclaw's patrol back all battered and scarred. I gasped and ran over to them. Fireheart and Graystripe were with them in the same state. "What happened?" I asked. Fireheart looked at me.

"We were bringing back Windclan and while we were on our way home, we got attacked by a Riverclan patrol." he panted. I gasped. _They brought back Windclan? And Riverclan attacked them!_

"And guess what? They brought Windclan warriors with them! They're still weak from the journey and you brought them with you!" Tigerclaw snarled. Fireheart and Graystripe flinched.

"They offered and they wouldn't let us leave if they couldn't come." Graystripe muttered. Tigerclaw growled and led them to Bluestar's den. I looked after them then ran to my siblings.

"Did you hear that?" I asked. They nodded and shared a look.

"Willowpelt said Whiteclaw died. He was battling Graystripe by the gorge and he fell in. Now Leopardfur thinks it's all Graystripe's fault." Tawnypaw said. I shook my head.

"Can't she see it wasn't his fault? It wasn't anyone's fault! Any cat could've fall in!" I exclaimed. Bramblepaw nodded in agreement. Then Bluestar padded out of her den with Fireheart and Graystripe. Tigerclaw sat beside her.

"I know what has happened is very tragic but we must carry on. Thunderclan is running low on warriors so we must make new apprentices." Bluestar announced. "Cinderkit, Brackenkit, come here." Cinderkit squealed and bounced in excitement. Brackenkit was more shy and slowly walked to the High Rock with his bouncing sister. I purred in amusement as Cinderkit accidentally bounced on Brackenkit's tail making him yelp. Bluestar purred and looked down on them. "Cinderkit and Brackenkit you will now be known as Cinderpaw and Brackenpaw. Fireheart you will mentor Cinderpaw and Graystripe you will mentor Brackenpaw." she said. I flicked my ears in surprise. _They have apprentices already?_ Fireheart nodded and touched noses with Cinderpaw and they winced.

"Sorry!" Cinderpaw chuckled. I snorted as they tried again. Graystripe and Brackenpaw did the same.

"Cinderpaw! Brackenpaw!" the clan cheered their names. I joined in with a smile. I padded over to them. Before I could say anything, Cinderpaw beat me to it.

"Isn't this great? We get to train together! And we get to share dens again!" she exclaimed. I purred.

"Just make sure you don't kick me in my snout again." I chuckled. Cinderpaw rolled her eyes.

"You shouldn't have been that close to my nest." she retorted playfully. I purred and flicked her ear with my tail.

"Now let's get some sleep!" I meowed. Then I led them to their new den. Sandpaw and Dustpaw purred in welcome as we padded through. I yawned and settled down in my nest. Cinderpaw's excited meowing filled my ears. I sighed and placed my tail over my ears but her mew still sounded. I growled silently and got up. "I'm going for a walk." I huffed Then I padded out the entrance and to the woods. It was quiet and the only noise that sounded was the scuffling of birds and mice. I sighed and let my paws take control. _Now that Cinderpaw's an apprentice, I won't get any sleep!_ I purred in amusement. _At least I have more training buddies._ Then my muzzle slammed into a tree. I grunted and fell on my flank. I growled and rubbed my snout. "Who put that tree there?" I muttered.

"Are you alright?" a voice chuckled. I looked up to see Riverpaw. He was on the opposite bank of Sunning Rocks. _Sunning Rocks? Why am I here?_ I sighed and got up.

"I'm perfectly fine. Just didn't see that tree." I muttered. Riverpaw scoffed and flicked his ears. I looked at him. His fur glimmered in the moonlight and his eyes sparkled. My breath got caught in my throat as he jumped in the river. "Riverpaw!" I gasped. I frantically looked through the churning water until I saw a gray head pop out. I sighed as he swimmed towards me.

"Riverclan, remember?" he chuckled. I rolled my eyes and my fur was hot with embarrassment. _Of course he can swim! Stop acting like this!_ Then I felt a muzzle brush against my paw. I looked down and saw Riverpaw nuzzling my toes and he looked up at me with innocent eyes. "You're kinda cute when you're embarrassed." he murmured. I blushed and flattened my ears.

"Uh… thanks…" I murmured. Riverpaw stood up and looked down into my eyes. I felt as if I was shrinking under his soft gaze. Then he nuzzled my muzzle. I wanted to pull away but I couldn't. His wet fur pressed up against me and sent tiny shivers down my spine. Our tails twined and we purred in happiness.

"I wanted to tell you a long time ago…" he murmured. I smiled and looked at him.

"Well now I know." I said. Then I pulled back but kept my tail twined with his. "I have to get going. My clan will be worrying about me." I murmured. Riverpaw's head drooped in disappointment but he smiled.

"Meet me at Four Trees?" he asked. I smiled and nodded. Then we touched noses and went our separate ways.


	13. Chapter 12

I woke up to a bouncing Cinderpaw. Fireheart's head was in the entrance as he waited for her. Then he caught my tired gaze. "Sorry, Leopardpaw." he chuckled. I rolled my eyes and got up with a yawn.

"So much for a good night sleep." I muttered. Last night with Riverpaw left me tired. But it was great. I sighed at the memory. Then my senses came to me like a giant slap to the face. _What is wrong with me?! I told myself to not catch feelings! Ugh I guess having a mate from another clan runs in the family! _I shook my head and padded out into the clearing. I looked around and saw Bramblepaw and Tawnypaw wrestling by the entrance. I padded over to them. Bramblepaw swiped Tawnypaw's muzzle, sending her flying through the air. I cheered. Tawnypaw shook her head and growled.

"That was nothing." Bramblepaw scoffed. Tawnypaw snorted.

"Yeah, nothing compared to what I'm gonna do!" she declared. Then she flipped in the air and landed on Bramblepaw's back. Bramblepaw grunted as he fell on his stomach. I chuckled as Tawnypaw sat on him and flicked her ears.

"That's a great move… for a kit." I snickered. Tawnypaw snapped her gaze to me.

"Are you saying my moves are kit moves?" she snapped with a playful gleam in her eyes. Then she leapt at me. I let out a playful squeal as she bowled me over. Then Tawnypaw pinned me down with her stomach. "Is this a kit move?" she chuckled. I grunted and shook her off.

"That's the first move we learned as kits!" I retorted. Tawnypaw rolled her eyes.

"Was not. It was at least the fifth." she muttered. I scoffed and flicked her ear with my tail.

"It's still a kit move." I chuckled. Then our mentors padded up to us.

"You three up for hunting?" Runningwind asked. I nodded brightly.

"I'll catch the most prey!" I declared.

"Not if I do first!" Bramblepaw chuckled. Then he scampered out the camp and I ran after him.

"Cheater!" I called.

"Wait for me guys!" Tawnypaw huffed.I burst out into the forest and saw Bramblepaw running off. I growled and ran to Tall Pines. I sniffed among the roots of the trees and I narrowed my eyes as a familiar scent filled my nose. _Fireheart?_ I followed the scent trail further into the woods until I came to the edge of the Twoleg place. I gasped as I saw Fireheart on a fence peering down into a garden. My breath got caught in my throat as he jumped down onto the other side. _Is Fireheart going back to his Twolegs?_


	14. Chapter 13

I ran back to Tall Pines. _Was clan life too hard for him? But he made it to be a warrior! Surely he can't go back to his Twolegs after coming so far?_ I shook my head and sighed. _Worry about that later. Fireheart's a grown tom. He can take care of himself. I need to hunt for my clan right now. Bramblepaw is not beating me in this contest. I will find the most prey!_ I sighed and sniffed among the roots. Then my muzzle went through a hole. I peeked my head through and saw a family of mice. The mice looked at me in fear and I licked my lips. _It must be fate I beat Bramblepaw in this contest!_ I spoke too soon because the biggest mouse flattened its ears and let out a tiny battle cry before leaping at my snout. I pulled out of the den as I felt a piercing pain in my nose and I released an earsplitting screech.

Bramblepaw's POV:

I was with the others at Sunning Rocks looking for Leopardpaw. _Where did that furball went off to now?_ "Any sign?" Mousefur called. Everyone shook their heads.

"I can't catch her scent anywhere." Tawnypaw said.

"Maybe she didn't pass through here?" Willowpelt suggested. All of a sudden, a quiet wail sounded. I pricked my ears.

"Did you hear that?" I asked. Everyone silenced. It was a moment and then the wail came again. This time louder and longer. "Is that…?" As if on cue, Leopardpaw burst through the bushes with her jaws wide in a cry for help.

"Get it off! Get it off!" she wailed. Her ears were pressed to her head and her tail was between her legs. She ran around in circles and was shaking her head around as if she gone mad.

"Leopardpaw, hold still!" I snapped as I chased her. Tawnypaw ran in front of her but only got bowled over. Leopardpaw tripped over Tawnypaw and they got tangled into a bundle of fur and legs. I climbed on top of her and looked at her face. "What in Starclan is wrong with you?" I asked. Leopardpaw was whimpering and wriggling beneath me.

"Get it off! It's clawing my nose!" she whimpered. I looked closer and saw a mouse clinging onto her snout. I scoffed and pulled the mouse's tail. "OWWWW!" Leopardpaw wailed. I tugged on the mouse but it wouldn't budge.

"Hold still!" I snapped around it's tail. Leopardpaw bucked around making it harder for me to get the mouse off. Then with a hard thrust, I yanked the mouse off, sending it flying into the air. A trickle of blood followed as the mouse's claws scored across Leopardpaw's nose.

"OWWWWWWWWW! My nose!" she wailed. I rolled my eyes and watched as the mouse scampered away. I climbed off of the now wailing Leopardpaw and sighed. Tawnypaw flung Leopardpaw off her back and Leopardpaw landed in a thornbush causing her to wail even louder. "My butt!" she cried. I struggled not to laugh so I just held my paw to my face. Mousefur scoffed and padded over to her.

"Seriously? How did you get attacked by a mouse?" she snapped. Leopardpaw instantly stopped wailing and looked at her mentor.

"I did not get attacked by a mouse. That mouse was just stuck to my nose." she said. I snorted and shook my head. Mousefur sighed and rolled her eyes.

"Let's get back to camp so we can fix you up." she said.

Leopardpaw's POV:

I limped into camp with the others. My nose was aching with agony and so was my butt. Runningwind ran off to get Yellowfang while I sat down and licked my flank. _Stupid mouse! Just wait 'til I come back!_ Yellowfang padded up to me. "Runningwind told me you got attacked by a mouse." she scoffed. I growled.

"It didn't attack me!" I snapped. Yellowfang sighed and began mixing herbs into my wounds.

"Honestly, Leopardpaw. You're worse than a kittypet losing a claw!" she muttered. I scoffed and rolled my eyes. Yellowfang lapped a herb into my nose causing me to sneeze. Yellowfang growled as the herb juice and my snot sprinkled on her muzzle. I smiled nervously.

"Ooops." I chuckled. Then I felt a paw swipe my muzzle. "Ouch!" I snapped.

"Ooops." Yellowfang said mockingly. I growled and stood up.

"Will I be fine?" I asked.

"It's just a scratch and thorns! Jeez Leopardpaw, it's not like you got mauled by a badger!" Yellowfang snapped. I scoffed and padded away. _Well, this is embarrassing. What kind of cat gets attacked by a mouse? I didn't even see it coming! What kind of mouse attacks a cat?_ Then I heard rustling coming from the entrance. I looked up to see Fireheart. I narrowed my eyes as he padded over to Graystripe.

"Hey, Leopardpaw." he mewed as he walked past me.

"Hey…" I said. Strange scents filled my nose. _Is that cat scent? Who was he meeting with?_ Then realization hit me. _Of course! Fireheart did used to live in Twoleg place. He must miss his old friends. That's probably why he was there. So he's loyal after all._ I smiled in satisfaction then padded off to my den. _I'm gonna have to get plenty of rest if I'm going to see Riverpaw tonight._ I settled down in my nest and closed my eyes.


	15. Chapter 14

I waited silently for my denmates to go to sleep. Cinderpaw was keeping everyone awake with her excited chattering and I growled silently. _Go to sleep! I know it's your first time seeing an owl but seriously? We don't need to know every little detail!_ I nuzzled my paws to keep me from snapping at them. "Could you guys keep it down? I'm trying to sleep. I have training tomorrow and I'm not trying to be tired the whole time." I mewed. Cinderpaw rolled her eyes and flicked her tail.

"I was telling a story!" she snapped. I glared at her as impatience took over.

"Well I was trying to sleep!" I retorted. Sandpaw stepped between us.

"Leopardpaw's right. We all have to be up and ready for training tomorrow." she murmured. I sighed. _Thank you Sandpaw!_ Cinderpaw scoffed and settled down into her nest. "We can listen to your story tomorrow, Cinderpaw."

"I'll be over it by then." Cinderpaw muttered. I snorted and waited for everyone to sleep. It was quiet until soft snores filled the den. I quietly got up and walked over the sleeping bodies. I padded out the den and hid in the shadows. Darkstripe and Longtail were guarding the camp so I slowly crept through the shadows until I came to the dirt place. I looked for the hole that I heard Dustpaw talking about and padded through. I pushed my way through the bushes and sighed. Then I ran to Four Trees. I stopped at the edge of the trees and peered behind the bushes. Riverpaw was on the Great Rock looking at the sky while the wind ruffled his fur. Fireflies sparkled around him and I smiled as I padded into the clearing. Riverpaw switched his gaze to me when he heard rustling and he purred in delight.

"Almost thought you weren't coming." he mewed. I scoffed and flicked his ear with my tail.

"I wouldn't leave you hanging like that." I smiled and we touched noses. I winced and pulled back. Riverpaw's eyes flashed with alarm.

"Are you alright?" he asked. I opened my mouth but froze. _I can't tell him I got attacked by a mouse!_

"Yeah, I just ran through a thorn bush on patrol and a thorn got stuck in my nose." I said. _Partly true so it's not lying._ Riverpaw purred and rolled his eyes.

"What is up with you running into things lately?" he chuckled. I sighed and nuzzled his chin. Then I looked around and rested my gaze on the trees.

"Race you up that tree." I challenged. Then I ran to the tree with a grin on my face. I started to climb up and looked back. Riverpaw was still on the Great Rock. "Well?" Riverpaw shuffled his paws in embarrassment.

"Can't climb trees. Riverclan, remember?" he chuckled.

"Oh. Well that's ok. I can teach you." I offered. Riverpaw looked at the tree then me. "Come on you scaredy mouse! It's easy!" Riverpaw sighed and padded over. I looked at him and went to his side. "All you have to do is dig your claws into the bark and climb up." I instructed. I dug my claws into the bark and heaved myself up. Riverpaw took a deep breath then followed me. He scrambled up the tree and hugged it as if he was hanging on for dear life. I purred in amusement. "You're not going to fall Riverpaw." I chuckled. Riverpaw rolled his eyes and climbed up the tree. I followed him and made sure he had the right footing. Then we made it to the first branch. I climbed up next to him and sat down. "See? That wasn't so hard was it?" I purred. Riverpaw scoffed.

"Next I'm going to teach you how to swim." he chuckled.

"I prefer not to get my paws wet." I snickered.

"And I prefer to stay on the ground but look where I'm at." Riverpaw retorted. I opened my mouth but nothing came out. "Thought so." Riverpaw chuckled. I flicked my tail over his ear and purred. Then Riverpaw climbed down.

"Where are you going?" I called.

"I'm going to find a river." Riverpaw said. I followed him down.

"Are you serious?" I asked.

"Of course!" Riverpaw scoffed. Then he ran off into the trees. I ran after him.

"Wait for me!" I called. I quickly pulled up beside him as he led me through the forest. Then we skidded to a halt beside a calm river. I took a step back and stared at it. Riverpaw wadded in and stared at me.

"Come on, scaredy mouse!" he teased. I looked at him then back at the river. I looked down at my paws.

"I can't." I muttered. Riverpaw tilted his head and walked to me. I looked up to see him smiling softly.

"You won't know until you try." he murmured. I sighed and nodded. I let Riverpaw lead me into the flowing river. The water swirled around my paws and chills sprawled through my body. I shivered and walked more deeper into the water. Then I couldn't feel the ground beneath me. I began to panic and scramble through the water. Riverpaw snatched my scruff into his jaws. "You're alright! I got you!" he grunted. I sighed as I felt the ground. I looked up at Riverpaw. His eyes were soft and he pressed against me. "You're safe with me." he murmured. I blushed and looked into his amber eyes. Then I smiled and nuzzled his chin with a purr. Fireflies danced around us as we stood in the swirling water. Our purrs drowned out any sound and he licked my ear. "I love you." he murmured. I smiled and licked his muzzle.

"I love you too."


	16. Chapter 15

"Leopardpaw, wake up!" Tawnypaw's snap sounded. I growled and snuggled my face into my paws.

"Let me sleep for another season!" I groaned.

"But we have training for the season!" Tawnypaw complained. I scoffed and rolled my eyes. Then it got quiet. A little too quiet. And that's when realization came to me. _Oh no…_ I let out a screech as Bramblepaw slammed onto my tail. I jumped to my paws and glared at him.

"Why do you always do that?!" I snapped. Bramblepaw snickered and padded out into the clearing.

"I'll stop when you learn how to get up on time." he chuckled. I mumbled under my breath and licked my tail. It was raining outside and I growled as drops fell onto my head. I ran to the others who were taking shelter under the High Rock.

"Do we have to train in this weather?" I muttered. Tawnypaw shoved me which caused me to fall into a puddle. I growled and glared at her as my fur got even more wet.

"Quit being a lazy dormouse! Show some spirit!" she chuckled. Then she looked at me. "Ooops." I growled and shook my fur out. Mousefur scoffed and flicked her ear in annoyance as a drop of water splashed onto it.

"Let's go before it gets worse! I'm not trying to stay out in the rain for the whole day." she snapped. I followed everyone out into the forest and to the Sandy Hollow.

"Today's move is the Leap And Hold." Runningwind announced. "This is when you're in combat with a larger enemy."

"Or in Leopardpaw's case, a mouse." Bramblepaw teased. I growled and flattened my ears in embarrassment.

"That was yesterday. Focus on today so you can be a better warrior." I snapped. Then I lifted my paw to my chest. "After all. If you want to be better than me, you have to step up your game."

"Says the cat who got attacked by a mouse." Mousefur pointed out. Bramblepaw snorted and tried to hold in his laugh. "Now do you want to train or boast about being the dream warrior you want to be?" I scoffed and lowered my head with a pout.

"Ok, the Leap And Hold is when you jump onto your enemy's back and hold on. Now the enemy will move around to get you off but you must hold on." Runningwind stated. "Eventually they'll give up and you can take that chance to try another move. Now watch Willowpelt try it on me." Willowpelt jumped onto Runningwind's back and held on. Runningwind bucked around but Willowpelt stayed on like a tick. Then they broke apart. "Now you three try." Runningwind mewed. I looked at Mousefur.

"Well what are you waiting for? An invitation?" she snapped. I growled and leapt at her. I landed on her back and held my paws into her shoulders. Mousefur scoffed and flung me off without breaking a sweat. I landed on the ground with a thud and the rain made the ground slick which caused me to slide into a tree. I grunted and looked back at my mentor. "What was that? Try again!" she snapped. I sighed and charged at her. Then I leapt back onto her back and held on. This time I dug my hind paws into her flank while my front paws wrapped around her neck. Mousefur bucked around and I struggled to stay on. Then I felt her relaxing. I scoffed in satisfaction.

"Did you finally give-" I broke off as Mousefur rolled over with me still on her back. I grunted as her full weight pinned me down to the ground which knocked the air out of me. Then she climbed off and I scrambled to my paws while gulping for air. "I wasn't ready! You didn't give me any warning!" I snapped. Mousefur flicked her tail and scoffed.

"You should've been prepared. If you sense the enemy relaxing that means they're playing a trick." she retorted. I growled and lashed my tail in frustration. "Now try again!"

We walked into camp with exhaustion. My body was aching and my head was spinning. I made my way to the fresh kill pile and picked up a juicy robin. I quickly ran to shelter then settled down to eat. I dug in and sighed. Over the smell of my food, I sensed a new scent. A… cat scent. I looked up to see Fireheart pad through the entrance with a tiny white bundle of fur between his jaws. I gasped and ran over to him. "Where did you find that?" I asked. The bundle of fur let out a cry as rain seeped into its fur. Cats padded out of their den at the noise. Then shocked murmurs filled the air. Bluestar walked out of her den and looked at Fireheart. She had a hard expression as she saw the kit.

"What is going on here?" she asked. I backed away from Fireheart as she walked to him. Fireheart placed the kit under his belly and looked at Bluestar.

"It's my sister's kit. She wanted me to raise him as a warrior." he murmured. Tigerclaw growled and stepped up to him.

"And how did she know about being a warrior?" he snarled. Fireheart lowered his ears.

"I… I went to visit her. I told her about clan life and she wanted her son to be raised in it." he admitted. I looked at Fireheart in pity. _Oh Fireheart, you stupid furball. What have you gotten yourself into now?_ Tigerclaw wrinkled his nose in disgust.

"Why did you think you should bring it here? It's almost leaf bare and you decide to bring in another soft mouth to feed! What do you think this is?" he snarled. Bluestar raised her tail in silence. Then she looked at Fireheart.

"Tigerclaw is right. You shouldn't have brung this kit here." she meowed. I held my breath and looked at her with wide eyes. _Is Bluestar going to send the kit back?_ Bluestar's gaze looked over the kit and Fireheart. "But it's too late to take the kit back. Maybe one of the queens will look after him." she murmured. I sighed in relief. Fireheart nodded and padded to the nursery with the kit. I followed him in to see the queens gathered around sharing tongues. Their heads lifted when they saw Fireheart pad through with the kit. Goldenflower looked at me in confusion. I nodded to Fireheart and sat down. Fireheart placed the kit down between his paws.

"I… I was wondering if one of you could take care of my sister's son…" he said nervously. The queens shared a shocked look.

"Why did you bring him here?" Frostfur asked. Fireheart shuffled his feet nervously in the dirt.

"My sister wanted me to raise him to be a warrior. She thinks that clan life will be better for him." he explained. Goldenflower sighed and Frostfur looked at Brindleface.

"You're the only queen with milk…" she began.

"No." Brindleface snapped before she could say anymore. Everyone shared a nervous glance as she turned her whole body around to face her back towards us.

"Her kit died last night." Goldenflower murmured in my ear. I nodded in understanding while Frostfur sighed.

"Brindleface, I know how miserable you feel to lose your son, but if you don't take care of him he'll die. We all know he won't replace your son." Frostfur murmured. Brindleface sighed and nodded. Fireheart sighed in relief and placed the kit down by her belly. Brindleface watched as the kit scampered to her belly and drank her milk. I smiled and my tail curled in delight. _That'll be me one day… caring for me and Riverpaw's kits…_ I froze and my smile faded. _Oh Starclan… what am I gonna do?_


	17. Chapter 16

"Nice catch, Leopardpaw!" Bramblepaw cheered. I lifted my head up with a squirrel in my jaws. It's been a week since Fireheart brought his sister's kit to the clan. Oh! The kit's name is Cloudkit by the way. He is so fluffy! He's very playful too.

"Thanks!" I purred around my prey. I padded over to him and sighed. We were out hunting while Tawnypaw and our mentors were in camp. "You think they know we're missing yet?" I asked. Bramblepaw scoffed and flicked his tail in doubt.

"If they did, they would be searching for us." he chuckled.

"Yeah. I guess." I giggled. Then I nudged the squirrel in between us. "Wanna share?" Bramblepaw nodded and crouched down to eat. I settled down beside him and ate and I kept my ears pricked as I looked out into the forest. Then I heard rustling in the bushes. I jumped to my paws in alert and felt my fur bristle. Bramblepaw froze and looked at the bushes with his neck fur rising. A snarl sounded in the leaves making us both jump in fear.

"What is that?" Bramblepaw asked, horror making his voice quiet. My fur bristled even more as a red snout peeped out the leaves.

"Don't move." I whispered. The creature walked out of the bushes to reveal itself as a fox. _He's huge!_ His fangs were bared into a sneering snarl and his eyes were hungry. The fox took a step forward with his tongue lolling out of his mouth. I nudged Bramblepaw and backed away slowly. Bramblepaw followed and the fox walked to the squirrel. Then he bent down to eat it with his glaring eyes still on us.

"Hey! Who do you think you are? You can't just-" Bramblepaw's protest was muffled by my paw.

"That thing will kill us! Be quiet. We can find another squirrel." I snapped. Bramblepaw looked at me.

"But that's our squirrel! Do you know how long that took to find?" he protested.

"Of course I do, mouse-brain! _I'm_ the one who caught it!" I scoffed. Bramblepaw growled and turned to the fox.

"I'm not going to let this mange-pelt push us around like he owns the forest." he snarled. Then he darted to the fox and my eyes widened in fear.

"Bramblepaw!" I cried. Bramblepaw slashed his claws over the fox's muzzle with a hiss. The fox snarled and jumped to his paws. Bramblepaw widened his eyes in fear as the fox towered over him. I flattened my ears and leapt at the fox. I swiped his eye and he let out a yelp. I turned to Bramblepaw. "Run!" I hissed. Then we sprinted out into the forest. Thundering paws sounded behind us and I nudged Bramblepaw away from the path to the camp. "We can't lead him to the camp." Bramblepaw nodded and ran towards the gorge. I followed him and scrambled over a log in panic. The fox snatched my tail in his jaws and tugged hard. My claws dug into the log and I let out of screech of agony. "Why is it always my tail?!" I wailed. Bramblepaw came back and smacked the fox's nose. I felt a release on my tail and we bolted away from the log. My tail was throbbing and blood was sprinkling out of the wound.

"You alright?" Bramblepaw panted. I nodded and stretched my legs out so I could cover more distance. The fox was right behind us and it was gaining fast. Then we were in front of the gorge. We skidded to a halt and looked around in panic. "We're trapped!" Bramblepaw whimpered. I turned around to see the fox towering over us. His fangs were bared into a vicious snarl and a growl rumbled in his throat. My heart was beating quickly and my eyes were wide as moons. I shook my head and stood tall.

"Leave us alone, you flea-bag!" I snarled. Then I leapt at the fox with Bramblepaw beside me.

Riverpaw's POV:

I was walking beside my patrol in a peaceful silence. The misty air soothed us as we pushed through the bushes. Blackclaw, Stonefur, Silverstream, and Shadepaw were beside me. I breathed in the scents of home as a soft breeze played in my whiskers, tickling my muzzle. _It would be better if Leopardpaw could be here to enjoy it with me._ I smiled as I thought about the beautiful tabby. We stopped by Sunning Rocks and marked the borders. "What are you smiling about, Riverpaw? Got a she-cat on your mind?" Shadepaw snickered. I glared at him.

"No!" I snapped in embarrassment. _Is my face that easy to read?_ Silverstream purred and gave me an amused look.

"Leave him alone. Everyone has that someone special." she murmured. Her eyes sparkled when she said that and I smiled slyly.

"And everyone includes you?" I chuckled. Silverstream rolled her eyes and flicked her tail over my ear.

"I don't have to explain myself to you." she snapped playfully. Me and Shadepaw purred in amusement. Stonefur snapped his gaze to us while Blackclaw was sniffing the air with his ears pricked.

"Be quiet! Do you hear that?" Stonefur snapped. We all stood in silence. I pricked my ears and looked around as wails and battle cries sounded nearby. We all bolted in the direction of the noise without a second thought. We ran through the water and burst out of the bushes. We were on the other side of the gorge looking at a fox battling two cats on the Thunderclan side. My heart lurched when I saw who they were. _Leopardpaw!_

"We have to help them!" I exclaimed. Blackclaw scoffed and flicked his tail.

"Why should we? That's their problem." he muttered. Silverstream gaped at him.

"If we don't, they'll die!" she protested. Blackclaw glared at her.

"Have you forgotten what they did to Whiteclaw? He's _dead_ because of them!" he snarled.

"Whiteclaw fell in! It wasn't anyone's fault!" Silverstream hissed. I growled in frustration and pawed the ground. _Leopardpaw and Bramblepaw are fighting for their lives and they're arguing about something that happened in the past!_ Then I heard a whimper of agony and I looked over to see Leopardpaw against a tree with a bloody leg and scratches all over her body. I gasped and ran over. "Riverpaw, wait!" Silverstream called. I ignored her and jumped into the gorge. I thrashed my paws through the water and climbed onto the other side. The fox was towering over Leopardpaw with Bramblepaw desperately clawing at his back.

"Leave her alone!" I snarled, leaping at the fox. I head smashed into the fox's jaws, causing him to fly into the air. The fox let out a bark of surprise and reared on me. Bramblepaw stood beside me as we blocked the fox from Leopardpaw. My fur was ruffled out to twice it's size and my claws were digging into the earth. My patrol quickly swam over and stood beside me with their lips curled into a snarl. The fox had a nasty gash over his left eye and claws marks down his flank. The fox's glare flickered to one cat to another then let out a defeated growl before running away. I panted heavily and turned to Leopardpaw. Her eyes were barely open and she gave me a weak smile before her head collapsed on her paws and her eyes closed. I felt my heart shred into a million pieces and tears began to build up in my eyes. "Leopardpaw!"


	18. Chapter 17

Riverpaw's POV:

Bramblepaw swirled around and gasped before running to his sister's side. "Leopardpaw, no!" he whimpered. He nuzzled her head with tears soaking his cheeks. "Please wake up. Don't leave me." I stumbled to Leopardpaw's side and Silverstream looked at me with narrowed eyes. I looked at her with tear filled eyes and her eyes widened in understanding. She beckoned me to come over but I shook my head and looked down at Leopardpaw. "This is all my fault! I've should've just let that fox take the squirrel! My stupid pride cost me my sister!" Bramblepaw wailed. I closed my eyes so the tears wouldn't fall. _Please Starclan… please let her be ok…_

"We'll help you take her back to camp." Stonefur offered. Bramblepaw wasn't listening as he pressed his muzzle into Leopardpaw's shoulder. I lifted Leopardpaw into my jaws and Bramblepaw helped. Then we walked back to Thunderclan's camp. I stared at the ground before a wail sounded. I looked up to see Tawnypaw.

"Leopardpaw!" she whimpered. Then she ran back into the camp. We followed her and were greeted by gasps. Goldenflower and Tigerclaw ran to us along with Yellowfang.

"What did you do?" Tigerclaw snarled, glaring at my patrol. I placed Leopardpaw down in the clearing and her family crowded around her.

"My kit!" Goldenflower wailed. Tawnypaw and Bramblepaw were huddled beside her in grief. Tigerclaw was digging his claws into the ground.

"You killed her!" he snarled.

"That's not what happened. They were attacked by a fox and we came to help." Stonefur said calmly. Bluestar padded into the clearing and looked at Leopardpaw's body. Yellowfang sniffed among Leopardpaw's wounds and smeared some herbs into them. I watched in silence and settled down beside them.

Leopardpaw's POV:

I was in a grassy clearing. A butterfly flew over my head in a circle. I looked around and got up. _Where am I?_ The butterfly dove onto my nose then back into the air again. I huffed in annoyance. "What do you want?" I snapped. The butterfly flew in a circle then flew over to a puddle. I sighed and followed it. "What?" I asked. The butterfly landed on a flower. Then it transformed into a cat. I jumped back with a squeal of surprise. _What the-?_

"Hello, Leopardpaw." the cat murmured. _Wait… that's not a cat!_ In front of me was a beautiful golden leopard. Her eyes were an ocean blue and they glowed as they looked down on me.

"Wh-who are you?" I stammered. The leopard walked around me, her tail flowing behind her in a cloudy dust of stars.

"I'm Ocean Breeze. I was alive in the time your great ancestors roamed the Earth." she explained. I gaped at her.

"With all due respect, but why are you here? And why are you seeing me?" I asked. Ocean Breeze purred.

"You have a special gift, Leopardpaw. A gift that no cat has ever had." she murmured.

"But I don't want a gift! I just want to be an ordinary warrior!" I protested. Ocean Breeze's eyes looked at me with an intense piercing gaze.

"Listen closely to my words." she said, her voice low and somber.

_"Darkness and light will meet one day. Moon or sun will find the way. Moonlight shines on evil's fangs, where the moon's path will always remain. Light reflects on a hero's claws, in sun's light there are no flaws. Choose wisely or you will see, the clans crumble under your name."_


	19. Chapter 18

Ocean Breeze's words rang through my ears. "What do you mean?" I asked. Ocean Breeze walked away and I ran after her. "You can't just leave me! Tell what you mean!" I wailed. Ocean Breeze swirled her tail around and the cloud of stars drowned me. I looked around in panic as the stars filled my vision.

I jumped awake with a pain in my leg. I hissed and looked at it. I looked around to see me in Yellowfang's den. _I'm home._ I sighed in relief and licked my leg. My tongue went through my leg as if it was a ghost. I jumped back with a gasp. "My beautiful daughter." a whimper sounded. I looked beside me to see Tigerclaw. "I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry for everything." he whimpered. My heart tore when I saw him with tears down his cheeks.

"Tigerclaw, I'm right here!" I murmured. Tigerclaw didn't seem to hear me. "Tigerclaw!" Then my eyes watered as he still didn't seem to hear me. "Dad…" I whispered. I placed my muzzle onto his head but it went right through.

_"A trusted warrior with the claws of a tiger will lead the clans to darkness."_

I turned around to see Ocean Breeze. I glared at her. "Take me home!" I snapped. Her eyes looked over Tigerclaw and I growled. "He's not the warrior you're talking about! I won't believe it!" I snarled. Ocean Breeze sighed and looked at the entrance. I followed her gaze to see Fireheart.

"A cat can already see it. Or you can just go see Ravenpaw. They both know the answer." she said.

"Ravenpaw's dead." I muttered. Ocean Breeze looked at me with no expression. "Isn't he? Fireheart said he was." Ocean Breeze scoffed and flicked her ear.

"Don't always believe things cats say." she murmured. I gaped at her but she walked away again. I stayed where I was. "Do you wanna go home or not?" she huffed.

"Are you going to send me in another depressing vision?" I retorted.

"Fine. Stay here and let your clanmates think you're dead." Ocean Breeze snapped. I looked at Tigerclaw then followed her.

I woke up to Tigerclaw's whimpering. I wiggled my paw just in case then sighed when my paw moved along with my movements. Tigerclaw's ears pricked and he looked at me. "Leopardpaw?" he breathed. I looked at him and his purr rumbled deep in his throat loudly. "Oh thank Starclan! You're alive!" he purred. I nuzzled his chin as he wrapped his tail around me. "I won't let anything else happen to you. Never again." he whispered. My eyes watered and I purred. _Ocean Breeze's got the the wrong cat. The prophecy can't be about Tigerclaw._ Tigerclaw got up and beckoned me to follow. I slowly got up to my paws and leaned on his shoulder for support. Then we made our way out of Yellowfang's den. Cats were in groups huddled around the clearing. Goldenflower and my siblings were among them.

"Leopardpaw!" a squeal sounded. The squeal came from Cloudkit by the nursery with his siblings, Ashkit and Fernkit. The clan snapped their gazes to me then smiled. Goldenflower and my siblings ran over to me.

"You're alive!" Tawnypaw exclaimed.

"I'm so sorry! I was such an idiot!" Bramblepaw mewed. Muzzles and nudges surrounded me and I struggled to stay on my paws.

"What is going on?" a snap sounded. I looked over to see Bluestar underneath the High Rock. The Riverclan patrol was behind her. Riverpaw's gaze glowed when he saw me and he began to walk to me. I flashed him a warning look and shook my head. Riverpaw tilted his head in confusion and hurt but then remembered where he was. Goldenflower covered my face with licks and I struggled to get out of her grasp.

"Ok yes, I know, it's good to see you too!" I exclaimed. Yellowfang ran over to me.

"Are you alright? Do you feel anything?" she asked.

"My leg hurts. That's pretty much all." I said. Bluestar padded over to me with a somber expression.

"If you're fine then I would like to talk to you and Bramblepaw in my den." she stated. I flattened my ears and Bramblepaw did the same. I limped after Bramblepaw as we followed Bluestar to her den. The Riverclan were on one side of the den while Bluestar sat in the middle. Me and Bramblepaw went to the other side and sat down. I avoided Bluestar's gaze and bowed my head in shame. "Now-"

"Before you say anything, I just want you to know it's all my fault." Bramblepaw blurted out. I gaped at him.

"No it wasn't! I was the one who had the idea to go out hunting!" I protested. Bluestar raised her tail for silence and we looked at her with lowered heads.

"Leopardpaw, tell your side of the story." Bluestar said calmly. I sighed and raised my head.

"We were bored and our mentors and Tawnypaw were asleep. So I asked Bramblepaw if he wanted to go hunting. He's the one who tried to tell me we'll get in trouble but I insisted that we were doing this for the clan and there wasn't anything else to do. We went out and I caught a squirrel. That's when the fox came." I explained. Bluestar nodded in thought.

"All that's true but it's _my_ fault we got attacked by the fox." Bramblepaw said. Bluestar looked at him. "When Leopardpaw caught the squirrel, the fox showed up and went for it. She wanted to just leave it but I didn't want to. So that's when I ran to the fox and said," Bramblepaw puffed out his chest. "'Hey, you can't just steal our prey, you flea-bag!'" he growled in a deep voice. Then in a higher voice he added, "And then Leopardpaw said, 'oh Bramblepaw, you're so brave and strong! Protect me from the big bad fox!'" I looked at him with annoyance. "And I said, 'sure thing sis! Aren't I the best big brother in all the clans?' And then she said-"

"I'm a few minutes older than you." I snapped. Bluestar's eyes glittered with amusement but she kept a straight face. "And besides, that _never_ happened. I can take care of myself just fine without your help." Bramblepaw rolled his eyes but before we could argue anymore, Bluestar broke in.

"What's important is that you two snuck out of camp without telling anyone. That was very foolish of both of you. I expected more from you. Be a good example for the kits." she meowed. I nodded my head.

"We're sorry. I promise it will never happen again." I mewed. Bluestar gave a satisfied nod.

"Good. Now just to be clear, did this patrol really help you with the fox?" she asked. I looked at Riverpaw. His eyes were loving and caring and he softly smiled as he met my gaze. _He saved me…_

"Yes, Bluestar. We would've never survived without them." I murmured. Bramblepaw scoffed and rolled his eyes.

"Now I could've-" His mutter was cut short by my paw.

"What he means to say is thank you." I said. Bluestar chuckled and turned to the Riverclan patrol.

"Thank you for helping them. You can go back to your clan now." she meowed. Riverpaw looked at me.

"Four trees." I mouthed. Riverpaw nodded and followed his patrol out of camp. I limped out of Bluestar's den and made my way to mine but Yellowfang blocked my way.

"Where do you think you're going?" she asked. I let out an exaggerated sigh and let her lead me back to the medicine den. "You need to stay with me so I can make sure your leg heals properly."

Riverpaw's POV:

I walked beside Shadepaw and Stonefur back to Sunning Rocks. "Riverpaw, what is wrong with you?" Blackclaw snapped. I gaped at him. "That wasn't your place to jump into battle like that!"

"They needed our help! I'm not going to let Leo-" I bit my tongue before I finished her name. _"Them_ die because it wasn't my place." Silverstream narrowed her eyes. I avoided her gaze and kept my head high.

"What's done is done. Riverpaw, that was very brave of you and I would expect that from any Riverclan warrior but Blackclaw does have a point." Stonefur meowed. I bowed my head and sighed.

"I'm sorry." I muttered. Then I felt a tap on my shoulder. I looked over to see Silverstream. She beckoned me to fall in behind and I narrowed my eyes.

"Me and Riverpaw are going hunting. You three go ahead." she announced. Stonefur nodded and led the others to camp. Silverstream sat down and waited until their pawsteps faded. Then she looked at me and I flattened my ears at her gaze. "So about Leopardpaw-"

"I don't have to explain myself to you. This is my buisness and I don't need you to get involved in it." I snapped. Silverstream raised an eyebrow.

"Now calm down! I was just telling you it's ok." she murmured. I gaped at her.

"You mean… it's alright? Me and Leopardpaw can be together?" I asked excitedly. My heart started beating fast and I felt as if I could fly. "This is great! We can spend the rest of our lives together! We can raise a family! We can-"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! That's not what I said!" Silverstream exclaimed. My head drooped. "I'm just saying that to me, it's alright. Even though it goes against the warrior code." I growled and lashed my tail in anger.

"Why did they make this a part of it? Can't they see how perfect we are together?" I snarled. Silverstream rested her tail on my shoulder.

"Don't get mad at our ancestors about this. They made this code so we can protect and defend our clans. How can we do that-" Silverstream broke off as I broke in.

"If we have a mate from another clan." I spat. I dug my claws into the earth. "Haven't they ever thought that we can have mates from different clans and still be loyal?" Silverstream sighed.

"I just want you to know… you're not alone. I'm in the same situation as you are." she murmured. I looked at her in shock. Silverstream sighed and looked at the sky. "His name is Graystripe. From Thunderclan. I never wanted to fall for him… but I did. And I can't change that." Then she closed her eyes for a brief a moment before looking at me. "Just… promise me she makes you happy." I lifted my head high and looked into her eyes.

"Every second of the day and night. I have never been happier." I meowed somberly. Silverstream nodded and sighed.

"Good. Now let's go get some prey before we're missed."


	20. Chapter 19

"Now you need to rest or else your leg won't get better, understand?" Yellowfang meowed. I sighed and rolled my eyes.

"Yes, Yellowfang." I muttered. Yellowfang gave a satisfied nod then padded off to her nest. I looked at the den entrance and saw small flakes of snow. A breeze drifted in and ruffled my tail fur. I shivered and tucked my tail under my paws. I closed my eyes with a sigh. _I wonder what Riverpaw's doing…_ My eyes jerked open. _Riverpaw! I'm supposed to meet him at Four Trees!_ I looked around and saw Yellowfang in her nest with her mouth wide open. Loud groggy snores poured out. I rolled my eyes and got up. Then I made my way out into the clearing. Every cat was inside their nests sleeping so it was easy sneaking out. I limped down the path to Four Trees while snowflakes clung to my fur. I sneezed as a snowflake landed on my nose.

"Bless you." a voice murmured. I jerked around to the voice.

"Ocean Breeze!" I exclaimed. "What are you doing here?" Ocean Breeze was sitting beside a white leopard with silver sparkling eyes. "And who is that?"

"This is Silver Frost. She's my sister." Ocean Breeze explained. Silver Frost looked at me with a hard expression and I flattened my ears at her gaze.

"Hello-"

"You can't see him." Silver Frost stated. I flared with anger. _Who is this leopard to tell me what to do?_

"Why not?" I snapped. Silver Frost and Ocean Breeze shared a look. A look of sadness and despair. Then Ocean Breeze sighed.

"Come with us." she murmured. Stars fell down to the ground and swirled into a portal. Silver Frost walked in and Ocean Breeze waited for me. I limped forward and looked through. There were only swirling blurred images. I looked at Ocean Breeze and she scoffed as she stomped her paw impatiently. "We don't have all night, Leopardpaw!" she snapped. I took a deep breath and limped through.

Rain plastered my fur to my body. I gasped as wave after wave of water jostled me from side to side. "Leopardpaw!" a voice called. I thrashed my paws through the water and struggled to stay afloat. Then a jaw grasped my scruff and hauled me out the water. I landed on the ground while gasping for breath. I coughed up water and looked around. Silver Frost was standing over me, her beautiful white fur clinging to her body showing muscles. "Follow me." she ordered. I stood on quivering legs and followed her down a muddy path. Different sights filled my eyes and the night sky was glittering above us.

"Where are we?" I breathed. Silver Frost looked straight ahead and kept moving.

"My old home." Thunder clashed above us making me flinch. Rain poured on us as we walked through the forest in silence and I stayed close to Silver Frost.

"Where's Ocean Breeze?" I asked.

"She's waiting for us." Silver Frost said. Then we padded through a tunnel. The tunnel was dark and the smell of dirt overwhelmed my nose. I growled as mud plopped down on my head. "Be quiet!" Silver Frost snapped in a whisper. I looked ahead to see a brown leopard with scars all over his face. "Get under me and don't move unless I do." I crawled under her long, soaked fur and kept to the ground as she walked to the leopard. "Greetings, Scarred Eyes. Rough night isn't it?" she greeted him. Scarred Eyes growled and his claws flashed in the thundering light.

"What are you doing out of camp? You know it's too dangerous." he snarled. Silver Frost didn't flinch.

"I don't need you looking after me like I'm some helpless kit. Worry about yourself." she snapped. Then she walked into the camp and I quickly followed her movements. More leopards were in the camp and I struggled to look for Ocean Breeze but I couldn't find her. Snarls sounded beside us and I looked over to see two toms fighting over a huge deer.

"I caught it so I get to eat it all to myself!" one snarled.

"I have cubs to feed, Lightning Wolf! My mate is starving and she needs to feed them!" the other begged. I looked at him in pity. The tom bent to take the deer but Lightning Wolf swiped his muzzle away with unsheathed claws.

"Well I guess you got a problem then, huh? Why don't you go out and find your own prey instead of acting like a worthless kit?" he snarled. I struggled to keep my growl silent. _How can he be so heartless and cruel?_ Silver Frost kept walking without looking at the two toms. I looked at her in shock.

"Aren't you going to help him?" I whispered.

"That's none of my business." she said without missing a beat. I dug my claws into the dirt.

"Well if you won't, then I will!" I snapped. Then I darted out from under Silver Frost and ran over to them. Silver Frost's eyes widened and she ran after me. I leapt at Lightning Wolf's muzzle and scratched his eye. He let out a snarl and glared down at me. I glared back with bristling fur. "Stop being a selfish piece of fox-dung and give him the deer! He needs it more than you!" I snarled. Lightning Wolf towered over me with a vicious snarl. Then he swiped my muzzle with thorn sharp claws. I yelped as blood dribbled out of the wound and jumped as a growl sounded beside us.

"What is going on here?"


	21. Chapter 20

I looked over to see a huge black leopard with brown spots. His amber eyes scorched over us then his eyes settled on me. "What are you doing here?" he snarled. Silver Frost ran to my side and stood in front of me protectively. The tom's eyes glared at her. "You brought her here?"

"Yes. She needed to see for herself." Silver Frost said without fear. The tom growled and bared his fangs.

"We already discussed this! She must find her own path!" he snarled. I stood up and looked at him.

"Who are you?" I asked. The tom looked at me and sighed.

"I am Talon Fang. Leader of Leopardclan." he explained. I widened my eyes. _This is Leopardclan?! What happened to them?! They were supposed to be the most loyalest clan in history! Now they're fighting like savages!_ Talon Fang beckoned me to follow him with Silver Frost. I walked beside him to a chamber. "I know this is not what you expected from the stories you have heard. Things are changing. A new threat is upon us." I looked at him with a tilted head.

"What do you mean?" I asked. Talon Fang sighed and looked down on me.

"This is an older version of Starclan. Everything was fine until…" Talon Fang broke off with a snarl. "Until he came." I narrowed my eyes in confusion.

"Who?" I asked.

"A long time ago. A tiger came to the Great Clans. His name was Killing Storm." Silver Frost explained. "Killing Storm was born in Tigerclan but he was chased out when he killed his own mother. He declared that he will come back for revenge. Now he's back. But it isn't the Great Clans he wants revenge on… it's your clan as well." I gasped and widened my eyes.

"But we done nothing to him! Thunderclan hasn't done anything wrong!" I exclaimed.

"It's not only Thunderclan. It's all the clans." Talon Fang said. I gaped at him and felt my heart skip a bear. "Killing Storm is going back in time to destroy all things that once helped the Great Clans. He's going to kill the cats who were heroes that saved their clans." Silver Frost leaned in.

"If he succeeds then life of the clans as we know it are dead." she said. "Before you were born, a prophecy was given to us."

_"Lives will be lost if a storm wins. But inside a leopard's storm is where faith will remain. Kin of kin, daughter of sin, is where you will find the hero within."_

"The cat must be you." Talon Fang declared. I gaped at him.

"It can't be me! I'm only an apprentice!" I exclaimed.

"Leopardpaw, your parents broke the warrior code! Your birth was a sin!" Silver Frost said. I glared at her. _Well thanks._ Silver Frost cleared her throat. "Well I didn't mean it like- you get the point!" she snapped. I rolled my eyes.

"Please, Leopardpaw! The clans will be destroyed without you!" Talon Fang begged. I looked into his eyes to see fear and distress. I sighed and held my head high.

"What do you want me to do?" I asked. Silver Frost sighed in relief.

"For now, go back to your clan. Protect them and one night you will have a dream." Talon Fang meowed. I nodded.

"Ok. I'll do it." I said. Silver Frost beckoned me to a pool.

"I still need to show you why you can't see Riverpaw." she murmured. I looked at her then back at the pool. I peered down to see my reflection. Silver Frost's tail dipped into the water and the image quivered into a handsome brown leopard. "A long time ago, there was a leopard name Flying Eagle. He was a very handsome tom and he was admired by all of Leopardclan." Silver Frost began. The image quivered into Flying Eagle with a pretty lion. "One day, Flying Eagle met a lion named Running Breeze. They both got along just fine until one night… they both fell in love." I smiled.

"Aw, that's sweet." I murmured. Silver Frost snapped her gaze to me.

"No!" she snarled. Then the image quivered into a screeching battle of the two clans. "Their clans went to war and Flying Eagle and Running Breeze met in battle. Flying Eagle loved her dearly but he couldn't let his clan think he was a traitor. So he attacked her. Running Breeze was hurt and confused by this and was even furious! But she couldn't bring herself to harm her love. So she let him kill her. Later, Flying Eagle found out she was expecting his kits." I gasped and felt tears spring to my eyes. "He hated himself for the rest of his life and even starved himself. One day he came across some death berries…" Silver Frost broke off and sighed. A tear fell from my eye and into the pool. The image quivered into my reflection. I sniffed and looked away. "You see Leopardpaw, the warrior code is there for a reason. No cat should feel this way." Silver Frost murmured. I brushed my paw over my eyes and sniffed.

"You're right…" I murmured. Silver Frost hesitated then licked my ear.

"Let's go back to your clan." she meowed. 

I padded through the portal and saw Ocean Breeze. She looked at me with a hard expression. "I froze the time here so her clan wouldn't worry." she meowed. Silver Frost nodded and looked at me.

"Good night, Leopardpaw." she murmured. I looked at her and Ocean Breeze.

"Good night." I mewed. The two leopards shared a look then walked back into the portal. The stars flew back to the sky, leaving me alone. I looked into the direction of Four Trees. "Good night, Riverpaw." I whispered. Then I limped back to camp.


	22. Chapter 21

Cold air ruffled my fur and I shivered as I looked outside. Piercing light flashed in my eyes and I growled before getting up. I peeked outside to see the ground covered in snow with snowflakes still falling to the ground. Cloudkit and his siblings were outside trying to catch the flakes with their tongues. I chuckled as Fernkit and Ashkit jumped into each other as they went for the same snowflake. They shook their fluffy heads then giggled and continued trying to catch the flakes. I sighed as I thought about Riverpaw. _Our kits could've been like that…_ I padded through the snow and shivered. I looked around and saw Fireheart and Graystripe sharing tongues by the entrance. I narrowed my eyes. _So Ravenpaw's dead, huh? _I padded over to them and sat by Fireheart. "Great Starclan, it's cold!" I chuckled. Fireheart and Graystripe purred in agreement. "I wonder if it's cold where Ravenpaw's at. If he's really dead that is." Fireheart and Graystripe's purrs got stuck in their throat as they shared a look. "Why did you lie?" I asked. Fireheart looked around then leaned to me.

"You wouldn't believe us if we told you." he mewed.

"Try me." I challenged.

"Is that a hunting patrol heading out? Looks like they need extra paws." Graystripe chuckled nervously. Then he got up and padded away. "Wait for me, Whitestorm!" I rolled my eyes and turned to Fireheart.

"Well?" I asked. Fireheart growled as he watched Graystripe follow the patrol out of the camp.

"Thanks a lot Graystripe." he muttered. I looked at him with a hard expression and he sighed. "We lied about him being killed by a Shadowclan patrol. It wasn't safe for him in the clan so we took him to Barley's barn." I narrowed my eyes.

"Barely?" I asked.

"He's the cat who lives in a barn by Highstones." Fireheart explained.

"And why did you take him away?" I asked. Fireheart looked at me awkwardly.

"This is the part where you're not going to believe me." he said. I raised an eyebrow. "Tigerclaw was out to kill him. Ravenpaw saw Tigerclaw kill Redtail and Tigerclaw's out to keep him quiet." I gaped at him and flared with anger.

_"What?!"_ I snarled. "Why would you say that? Tigerclaw would never do such a thing! He's loyal to Thunderclan since he was born! Honestly, Fireheart! I know he's rough with you but that doesn't mean you should tell lies about him." Fireheart gaped at me.

"I'm not lying! He really did kill Redtail!" he exclaimed. I scoffed.

"You weren't even there!"

"Ravenpaw was!"

"Ravenpaw was terrified out of his fur when he came back! Haven't you ever thought he was exaggerating or confused? He probably got mixed up with the wrong cat." I said. Fireheart opened his mouth but nothing came out. I looked at him in smug and satisfaction. "Loosen up, Fireheart. Before you make a mistake the clan won't forgive." I warned. Then I padded off to find my siblings. _A trusted warrior with the claws of a tiger will lead the clans to darkness._ I shook the words out of my head and sighed. _Stupid prophecies! Why can't I just be a normal cat like everyone else?_

"Leopardpaw!" a whisper called. I froze in my tracks and slowly looked around. I peered over to the camp wall and saw a gray snout peep through. My breath got caught in my throat as I saw it was Riverpaw. I looked around to check if anybody was watching then padded over to him. He led me out the camp and to a shady area. I sat down by a tree while Riverpaw sat across from me.

"What are you doing here?" I asked, avoiding his gaze. Riverpaw rubbed against me and licked my ear.

"I had to come see you. You didn't come to Four Trees last night and I was worried." he murmured. I sighed and pulled away.

"I just got stuck in camp. You know. Bad leg and all." I muttered. Riverpaw tilted his head in hurt and confusion.

"What's wrong?" he asked. I looked at him.

"Nothing. It's just…" I broke off. _I can't tell him about last night._ I held my head high and turned my gaze into a glare. "You shouldn't be here." I snapped. Riverpaw gaped at me in hurt. My heart tore when I saw him like that.

"I just thought…" Riverpaw broke off in search for words. I sighed and nuzzled his chin.

"I'm sorry. It's just that a lot of things have been happening lately and I'm stressed out." I murmured. Riverpaw's gaze softened and he purred in sympathy.

"I got time to listen." he mewed. I smiled and looked at him.

"Don't worry about it. It's not important." I said.

"If it's stressing you out then I need to know about it so I can help." Riverpaw meowed. His voice was stern and he looked at me with a serious gaze. I sighed.

"I had a dream." I began. Riverpaw leaned in. "I was with our Great Ancestors from Leopardclan. There were two leopards with me named Ocean Breeze and Silver Frost. Silver Frost showed me the older Starclan and it was terrible! They fought each like savages. Then I met Talon Fang, their leader. He told me they needed help." I broke off and sighed. "That they needed _my_ help. A tiger named Killing Storm is going back in time to destroy the Great Clans. If he succeeds then the clans that are living now will be destroyed!" I said. Riverpaw's eyes were wide. "Talon Fang told me a prophecy that was given to them a long time ago." I took a deep breath and sighed. _"Lives will be lost if a storm wins. But inside a leopard's storm is where faith will remain. Kin of kin, daughter of sin, is where you will find the hero within."_ I looked at Riverpaw. "That cat must be me." Riverpaw looked at me.

"What are you going to do?" he asked.

"I don't know. Talon Fang told me that later on I will have a dream. And in that dream is where the answers are." I murmured. Riverpaw nodded his head slowly. Then he licked my muzzle.

"I will help in any way I can. Just tell me what to do." he promised. I smiled and nuzzled his chin.

"Thank you. But right now you need to go back to your clan before they start looking for you." I murmured. Riverpaw nodded and licked my muzzle one last time before walking away back to his territory. I brushed against a tree to get his scent off then padded back into camp.

"What were you doing?" a voice asked. I jumped and looked up to see Tawnypaw. Her eyes were narrowed and her nose twitched.

"N-nothing!" I stammered. Tawnypaw scoffed and sniffed me.

"If you want to meet a cat from another clan, you should really hide his scent more better." she said. I gaped at her with wide eyes. "What were you doing with Riverpaw?"

"I wasn't with him!" I protested. _Starclan, help me! Who knows what she will do if she finds out?_ Tawnypaw growled.

"Do you remember Dawncloud? Is that how you want to live your life? Think about your future kits. Or are you expecting some already?" she snarled. I flared with anger and I flattened my ears with a growl.

"You have no right to treat me like this. You don't know anything about me." I growled.

"I know that your kits are going to hate you for this." Tawnypaw retorted. I dug my claws into the ground with bristling fur.

"Who says I'm going to have kits? And who said Riverpaw's my mate?" I snarled. Before we could argue anymore, Yellowfang and Frostfur ran into Bluestar's den. I ran after them and peered inside. Bluestar was on her side coughing weakly. Musty smells were coming from her and I wrinkled my nose.

"What's going on?" a meow asked. I looked up to see Fireheart.

"I think Bluestar's sick." I murmured. Fireheart looked inside the den with worry.

"Both of you! Get back!" Yellowfang spat as she looked at us. Then she charged at us. I jumped out the way as she burst out the den.

"Bluestar! Bluestar!" a cat called. Dustpaw was running through the tunnel entrance.

"Bluestar can't see you right now." Yellowfang snapped.

"But it's important! Tigerclaw's found Shadowclan tracks on our side of the border!" Dustpaw exclaimed.

"Well Tigerclaw's just gonna have to handle it on his own!" Yellowfang snapped. Then she turned to Fireheart. "We need catmint. I don't have any in my store and there's none in our territory!" Fireheart nodded.

"I know where we can find some but I have to go to my old home." he warned.

"I don't care! Just get it!" Yellowfang snapped. Fireheart nodded and ran out the camp.

"What about Tigerclaw?" Dustpaw complained. I growled in frustration.

"I'll go see what he wants!" I snapped.

"But he wants Bluestar!" Dustpaw retorted.

"She can't see him right now!" I snarled. Then Cinderpaw ran up to us.

"I'll go!" she exclaimed. Me and Dustpaw looked at her.

"No!" we snapped in unison. I turned to Dustpaw.

"It's me or no one! Where is he?" I snarled. Dustpaw growled.

"At the Thunderpath by the broken down tree." he snapped. I looked at Yellowfang.

"I'll be back." I said. Then I ran out of camp. My leg was still sore and it slowed me down. I ignored the pain and kept running.

"Leopardpaw!" a voice called. I growled as I recognized the voice.

"Go home, Cinderpaw!" I snapped.

"But I want to help!" Cinderpaw complained. I stopped and turned to her. Cinderpaw skidded to a halt and bumped into me. I held my ground and looked down at her. Cinderpaw flinched under my gaze.

"It's too dangerous. Go home." I ordered. Cinderpaw didn't back down.

"I'm coming with you no matter what you say." she snapped. I growled.

"Fine! But stay by my side!" I ordered. Then we ran back down the path. Thundering noises filled the air as we got closer. The broken down tree came into sight.

"Where's Tigerclaw?" Cinderpaw panted. I skidded to a halt by the tree and looked around. Cinderpaw walked closer to the Thunderpath and peered across. The ground vibrated and my ears began to rumble. I widened my eyes in fear as I saw a monster speeding down the reeking path. Cinderpaw squeaked in surprise and fell onto the path and I gasped as the monster came closer.

"Cinderpaw!" I screeched. Then I ran over to her. Tigerclaw landed on me and held me down. "Get off! I have to save-" I broke off as a scream erupted from the path. I looked up to see Cinderpaw sprawled on the ground with her leg in a weird angle. I gasped as blood surrounded her and she didn't move. "Cinderpaw!"


	23. Chapter 22

I shook off Tigerclaw and ran to Cinderpaw's body. Her eyes were closed and blood pooled from her mouth. "Cinderpaw! Please wake up!" I whimpered. Then I heard thundering paws behind me. I turned to see Fireheart. His were wide with shock and grief.

"Cinderpaw…" he whispered. I blinked away tears.

"I tried to save her…" I murmured, my voice cracking. Fireheart stumbled to Cinderpaw's side and looked at her.

"What were you two doing here?" Tigerclaw asked.

"I came because Bluestar couldn't come. Cinderpaw refused to stay so I allowed her to come with me." I said. Fireheart shook his head in sadness.

"If only I had made her listen…" he whimpered. Then he bent to grab her scruff and padded away from the Thunderpath. I followed him back to camp with Tigerclaw beside me.

"Why did you stop me?" I whispered. Tigerclaw looked at me.

"I couldn't lose you again." he murmured. I closed my eyes for a moment then sighed.

We made it back to camp and were greeted by gasps. "Cinderpaw!" Frostfur's cry sounded. Fireheart took Cinderpaw's body to Yellowfang's den with Frostfur and Brackenpaw behind him. Bramblepaw padded to me in shock.

"What happened?" he asked. I looked at him.

"She was crushed by a monster." I whispered. Bramblepaw widened his eyes and sighed.

"Poor Cinderpaw…" he murmured. Tawnypaw padded up to us. I ignored her and licked my paw. Bramblepaw told her what happened and Tawnypaw narrowed her eyes.

"So where you, Leopardpaw?" she asked suspiciously. I glared at her.

"What do you mean?" I growled.

"Did you even try to save her?" Tawnypaw asked. I flared with anger. _How dare she?_

"As a matter of fact, yes I did try to save her. And where were you? In camp planning on how to ruin my life?" I snapped. Tawnypaw scoffed and flicked her ear.

"You don't need me to do that." she retorted. I stood up with bristling fur.

"What's your problem?"

"My problem is is that my sister is turning into a traitor just like her mother!" Tawnypaw snarled. My fur poofed out and I dug my claws into the ground.

"Uh, guys..." Bramblepaw mewed nervously. Tawnypaw had her teeth bared into a snarl and she glared at me.

"What goes on in my life is none of your concern!" I snarled. Eyes turned to us as we hissed at each other.

"What is going on here?" Goldenflower snapped. We both ignored her and continued glaring at each. Bramblepaw lifted his paws into the air in surrender.

"I have nothing to do with this!" he said. I scoffed and turned away from Tawnypaw with my snout in the air.

"Tawnypaw's just causing trouble. That's all." I sniffed. Tawnypaw growled.

"Oh yeah? I'm the one causing trouble? Why don't you explain that to your kits?" she snapped. My neck fur bristled and I turned to her. Goldenflower stepped in between us.

"Cinderpaw is dying and you two are fighting like a pack of foxes! Grow up!" she scolded. I sighed and lowered my head in shame. "Whatever it is you two are going through, talk about it later! Right now, Cinderpaw needs us."

"You're right…" I murmured.

"Of course I'm right. I'm your mother." Goldenflower meowed. Then she went over to Frostfur and comforted her. I gave Tawnypaw one final glare then went to the medicine den. I looked through to see Fireheart with Yellowfang. They were talking quietly to each other so I pricked my ears and listened.

"Whatever happens… Cinderpaw will never be a warrior." Yellowfang meowed. My heart stopped beating for a moment and my breath got caught in my throat. _She will never be a warrior?_ I walked away with wide eyes. Brackenpaw saw me and ran over.

"What happened?" he asked looking into my eyes. I looked at him in pity.

"She might live but… she'll never be a warrior…" I murmured. Brackenpaw gasped and fell onto his haunches. "I'm so sorry." Guilt clung to my heart like thorns. _I could've saved her! I never should've let her come with me!_ I looked away and sighed. Then I felt a tail on my shoulder. I looked up to see Tigerclaw.

"I know what you're thinking. This isn't your fault. There was nothing you could've done." he murmured. I growled.

"That's because you sat on me!" I snapped. "I could've saved her!" Tigerclaw sighed and padded away. _So you have nothing to say?_ I growled in anger and stomped over to Goldenflower. _Does he even care that Cinderpaw's dying? And where was he at the broken down tree? Was that his plan?_ I widened my eyes and froze in my tracks. _Was that plan meant for Bluestar?_ I looked at my father eating a vole by the High Rock while scorching his gaze over his grieving clanmates. His eyes showed no grief or worry. Only ambition and anger. _Whatever his plan was… it failed. But this is just the beginning. And he's going to make sure it won't fail this time._


	24. Chapter 23

It's been a week since Cinderpaw's accident. Thank Starclan she lived. The clan was going back to normal but my tail still twitched about Tigerclaw. _Why is he trying to kill Bluestar?_ I shook my head. _Snap out of it! Fireheart is just getting to you._ I sighed and tried to shake the thought of my father being a murderer. "Hey, Leopardpaw!" a voice called. I looked over to see Bramblepaw with our mentors. "We're going training." I nodded and ran over to them. Tawnypaw was with them. I avoided her gaze and followed them out to the training hollow.

"What are we doing today?" I asked.

"We're going to do a fake battle. We want to see how your moves are doing." Runningwind said. I bounced in excitement. We padded into the center and waited for instructions. "Ok. You three will act like leaders of your own clans. The rock at the center is the largest piece of territory and you all are after it." Runningwind said. I smiled and twitched my tail. "Now we will be in your clan so we can help. Now get to the far side of the clearing." I followed Mousefur over to a bush while everyone else did the same. Mousefur leaned down to my ear.

"I suggest you go get claim the rock while I defend you since you're more smaller and quicker." she murmured. I nodded and flicked my tail.

"I'm on it!" I said.

"Go!" Runningwind called. I darted over to the rock with Mousefur on my tail. Runningwind leapt at me but Mousefur met him in the air. I dodged the tumbling cats and kept running. Willowpelt blocked my way and leapt at me. I stood on my hind paws and snatched her out of the air. Then we tussled around in an intense head lock. I pawed her head with sheathed claws and kicked at her belly. Willowpelt grabbed my scruff but I instantly held my ground and shook her off. Then I swiped her muzzle away causing her to fly into the air. I panted and ran to the rock. _Almost there..._ Then I got bowled over. I looked to see who my attacker was to it was Tawnypaw. I growled and leapt at her. Tawnypaw met me in the air and wrapped her legs around my neck. I bit one of her legs and dug my teeth in. Tawnypaw snarled and swiped my eye with unsheathed claws. _Oh so you wanna play like that, huh?_ I unsheathed my claws and slashed them over her flank. Tawnypaw shook me off then leapt for my belly. I dodged and tackled her to the ground.

"I won!" Bramblepaw's yowl declared. Me and Tawnypaw still tussled around in the dirt with our claws deep in each other. "I won…?" Bramblepaw mewed. Then I felt teeth snatch into my scruff.

"What are you doing?" Mousefur snarled as she hauled me off of Tawnypaw. Tawnypaw leapt at me as Mousefur held me down but Willowpelt bowled her over.

"The fight is over!" Willowpelt snapped. Me and Tawnypaw panted and glared at each other. Mousefur looked down and saw blood over my eye.

"This isn't a real battle!" she scolded.

"We were just training." I muttered.

"When you're training, you're supposed to keep your claws sheathed!" Mousefur spat. I got up and shook the dirt out of my fur. My eye was stinging and so were the claw marks on my belly and my ear had a tear in it. Mousefur sighed and lapped at my ear. Bramblepaw was standing on top of the rock with an uncertain gaze.

"I won…?" he repeated uncertainly. Runningwind cuffed his ear.

"We know, Bramblepaw." he snapped. I licked my leg while Tawnypaw glared at me. I shared her glare and bared my teeth.

"What do you want?" I growled. Before Tawnypaw could say anything, Mousefur stepped in.

"Enough! Both of you stop acting like savages and _grow up!_ You two are sisters for Starclan's sake!" she snarled. Tawnypaw scoffed.

"Sisters." she muttered. I glared at her then turned away.

"Now let's get back to camp without ripping each other to shreds." Mousefur snapped. Then she led the way out of the hollow. "Leopardpaw! Beside me, _now."_ I quickly padded to her side and flattened my ears at her gaze. "I am very disappointed in you. You're supposed to set an example for the kits." I bowed my head in shame.

"I'm sorry." I muttered.

"Tell that to Tawnypaw. You're the one who tried to bite her leg off." Mousefur sniffed. I looked behind me to see Tawnypaw limping heavily. I sighed and nodded. _Why should I have to apologize for that? She deserved it! Besides, she's the one who attacked me with unsheathed claws._ I didn't dare say that out loud or else Mousefur will give me more than a sharp tongue.

We padded into camp and everyone was gathered around. Bluestar was sharing tongues with Tigerclaw underneath the High Rock. _Great. An audience._ Mousefur padded to them and beckoned me and Tawnypaw to follow. We shared a nervous glare and followed her. "Bluestar, it seems like we have a couple of fighting apprentices-" Mousefur broke off as a yowl sounded from the nursery. We turned to see Fireheart and Graystripe burst through the camp wall in an intense battle.

"Stop at once!" Bluestar snarled. Fireheart and Graystripe broke apart with blood trickling from their wounds. I widened my eyes.

"And warriors…" Mousefur mewed. Bluestar growled and beckoned the two warriors to come over.

"Mousefur, what is your situation?" Bluestar asked.

"As I was saying, we have two fighting apprentices that fought as if they were in a real battle during training." Mousefur meowed. I lowered my head as Bluestar's gaze scorched over me. Tigerclaw looked disappointed as well.

"Well?" Bluestar meowed. I took a deep breath and opened my mouth but Tawnypaw beat me to it.

"It's all Leopardpaw's fault." she blurted out. I glared at her with my mouth still open.

_"What?!_ You attacked me! I was on my way to the rock and you're the one who started the fight!" I snapped.

"I was just following orders! It's your fault you lost!" Tawnypaw retorted.

"Says the limping cat."

"Says the cat who _caused_ the limping cat to limp!" We pressed each other's snout together and growled.

"Enough! What is wrong with you two?" Bluestar snapped.I glared at Tawnypaw and backed away. "Honestly! You two act like a bunch of kits!" Then she turned to the two warriors. "And you two are warriors, for Starclan's sake! I expect a lot more from you!" Then her gaze fell on Fireheart. "Especially you, Fireheart." Fireheart bowed his head in shame. "Meet me in my den. As for you two, go to Yellowfang, get cleaned up, and _apologize!_ I will not have my cats fight each other like savages!" Bluestar snapped. My mind flashed back to Leopardclan. _Lightning Wolf was heartless… I can't let that behavior become of my clan._

"Yes, Bluestar." I murmured. I padded to Yellowfang's den with Tawnypaw by my side.

"You started it." she muttered.

"And now I'm finishing it." I snapped back. I flicked my tail over her nose and padded into Yellowfang's den. "Yellowfang?" I called.

"I heard what happened. Come over here. I'm with Cinderpaw." Yellowfang's voice called. I walked to the sound of her voice and saw her giving Cinderpaw her exercises. "Cinderpaw, could you pass me my herbs?" Yellowfang asked. Cinderpaw nodded happily and limped to the herb store. My heart tore when I saw her. _She shouldn't be cooped up in here like this…_ I smiled as she cheerfully dragged out the herbs. _At least she's still positive._

"How you feeling, Cinderpaw?" I asked. Cinderpaw looked at me with a friendly gaze.

"I'm great! My leg feels better already! Soon I'll be out and about in no time! Nothing's gonna stop me from training to become a warrior!" she exclaimed. I flinched and felt my smile quiver. _Oh, Cinderpaw…_ I forced a purr.

"That's great." I mewed. Yellowfang looked at me and she narrowed her eyes.

"You heard me and Fireheart talking?" she asked. I nodded. Yellowfang sighed and shook her head. "Sit down so I can tend to your wounds." I laid on my back so she can start with my belly. "Great Starclan, Tawnypaw! Look at these claw marks!" Yellowfang exclaimed. Tawnypaw looked at me with smug and I growled.

"Just wait 'til you see the holes in her leg." I muttered. Tawnypaw rolled her eyes and looked at Yellowfang. Cinderpaw nuzzled me and I looked at her.

"I know you think it's your fault I got crushed by the monster." Cinderpaw murmured. I flinched and looked away in guilt. "I just want to say I don't blame you. You did the best you could and I want to thank you for at least trying." I smiled.

"Thanks." I mewed. _I'm so happy she said that!  
_  
"You're done, Leopardpaw." Yellowfang meowed. I got to my paws and watched as she worked on Tawnypaw. "You did do a lot of damage on her leg." Yellowfang observed. Tawnypaw glared at me. I flicked my ear and lifted my snout in the air.

"Wipe that smug look off your face before I claw it off." Tawnypaw snapped. I glared at her.

"Give me your best shot!" I growled.

"Stop!" Yellowfang snapped. I licked my paw and drew it over my eye. "Don't rub at it or it will get infected." I sighed and sat down. Tawnypaw glared at me as Yellowfang worked on her leg. _Well if she's gonna stare then I'm gonna give her something worth staring at._ I licked my claws and flashed them at her before doing a pose.

"Don't flatter yourself." Tawnypaw scoffed. I chuckled and Tawnypaw looked away but I caught the look of amusement in her gaze.

"All done." Yellowfang announced. "Now get out before I claw both your ears off." I ran out the den with Tawnypaw as Yellowfang chased us out. We laughed as she turned back to her den while panting. "I'm getting too old for this." she muttered. I snorted and looked around. Tawnypaw mumbled something under her breath.

"What?" I asked. Tawnypaw still mumbled but I could hear what she said. I smiled and leaned to her. "Couldn't quite catch that." I chuckled. Tawnypaw glared at me but had amusement glittering in her eyes.

"I'm sorry!" she snapped. I chuckled and flicked my tail over her ear.

"I'm sorry too. I shouldn't have tried to rip your leg off." I murmured.

"And I shouldn't get in your business. I know you will never be disloyal to the clan." Tawnypaw agreed. I licked her ear and we both purred. "But what in the name of Starclan was this?" Tawnypaw chuckled, mocking my pose from before. I laughed.

"I was giving you something worth staring at." I chuckled. Tawnypaw rolled her eyes and padded over to Bramblepaw. I followed her with my tail held high.

"What did you think Fireheart and Graystripe were fighting for?" Tawnypaw asked. I shrugged.

"I don't know. It's not like them. They're supposed to be best friends. We were fighting because… well… we're siblings. We always fight." I said. Tawnypaw scoffed.

"I guess we'll find out sooner or later." she mewed.


	25. Chapter 24

I padded over to the apprentices' den and to my nest. Tawnypaw and Bramblepaw were cuddled together in my nest and I rolled my eyes before cuddling beside them. _Did they have to pick my nest?_ I closed my eyes and let out a deep breath.

I woke up to a sunny luscious forest. I looked around and yawned. _Where am I?_ I looked around and saw a calm river. The vision transformed to a stormy night and the river splashed around wildly. Then the vision vanished and I widened my eyes. _I'm back in Leopardclan's territory!_ I looked at the path Silver Frost took me on. I jumped to my paws and ran down the path. Then a tunnel appeared. I crept through and breathed in the musty scents. "Storm Dream! Storm Dream!" an excited squeal sounded. I looked around then saw two cubs running over to me. As they got closer, I realized I looked _down_ on them instead of up. _Aren't cubs the size of cats?_ "Storm Dream!" the bigger cub, a silver leopard, exclaimed. I narrowed my eyes. _Are they talking to me?_

"I'm not Storm Dream." I said. The smaller one, a fluffy golden leopard, rolled her eyes and scoffed.

"Quit fooling around, Storm Dream! You're supposed to take us out hunting, remember?" she giggled. I realized she looked a lot like Ocean Breeze. The bigger one looked just like Silver Frost. _Are these cubs a younger version of Ocean Breeze and Silver Frost?_

"Come on! Feather Moon and Light Eyes are waiting!" Silver Frost said. Then they scampered away and I followed them more slowly. _Feather Moon and Light Eyes? Storm Dream? What is going on?_

"There you are." a murmur sounded. I looked up to see a gray leopard with gleaming silver eyes. His teeth flashed in a heart warming smile. I faked a smile and padded to him.

"Here I am!" I chuckled nervously. _Who are you?_ A laugh sounded near us. I looked over to see a light golden leopard with violet eyes. Her fur was fluffy and she was tiny.

"Stop flirting with leopards you know you can't have, Thunder Light." she chuckled. Ocean Breeze and Silver Frost giggled beside her. Thunder Light rolled his eyes then turned to me. Then he plucked a flower from the ground and tucked it behind my ear.

"Until next time." he murmured. Then he padded off to a patrol heading out. The small leopard rolled her eyes and beckoned me to come over.

"We're still waiting for Light Eyes. That lazy tom." she said. I nodded and sat down in thought. _So this must be Feather Moon._ Then a hazel leopard stumbled out of a ruffled nest. I rolled my eyes with a snort. _And I'm guessing that's Light Eyes._ Feather Moon chuckled. "It's about time, Light Eyes! We were waiting here forever!" she exclaimed. Then she led the way out into the forest. I looked around for a puddle. A sparkling glint caught my eye and I found what I was looking for. I skidded to a halt by the puddle and peered at my reflection. I gasped at what I saw. My long fur was shortened into a tan color and my spots were black with bluish gray insides. I had a white underbelly and my eyes were a beautiful hazel color. I looked at myself in awe. _What happened to me?_

"Yes Storm Dream, you are a beautiful leopard." Light Eyes chuckled. I looked at him. "Now can we please go hunt now?" I padded to them in embarrassment. _Ok. Deep breaths. These leopards obviously got the wrong cat. But for now I just gotta play along._ Then realization came to me. _This is a dream! It's the dream Talon Fang was talking about! So that must mean Killing Storm is in it._ I looked around with narrowed eyes and pricked ears. Then I felt breathing against my ear. "You got your beauty from your mother. And your skills from me." Light Eyes murmured. I flashed a smile. _So he's my father! Then who's my mother? Maybe she's dead._ I let out a sad sigh.

"I wish she was here with us." I murmured, keeping my eye on him to see his reaction. Light Eyes raised an eyebrow.

"Rising Star? She's in camp." he said in confusion. I scoffed and laughed in embarrassment.

"I meant here with us on patrol." I chuckled. Light Eyes looked at me with understanding.

"Oh! Well she's expecting your new siblings, remember?" he chuckled. I smiled. _Storm Dream must be excited._

"Yeah. They're going to be beautiful." I murmured. Light Eyes purred and and padded to the front. I sighed in relief. _That went well._ Then I felt a sudden weight on me. I yowled in surprise and swirled around to face my attacker. Ocean Breeze and Silver Frost were tackling each other on the ground in a play fight. I rolled my eyes and snorted. "We're supposed to be hunting, you two. You're scaring off all the prey." I chuckled. Ocean Breeze rolled her eyes and pawed Silver Frost away. I giggled and followed Feather Moon and Light Eyes into the trees.

"Stop." Feather Moon ordered, lifting her tail into the air. I froze and smelt the air. Strange cat smells filled my nose. "Do you smell that? Lionclan crossed the border!" Feather Moon exclaimed. Then four lions jumped out. I crept to my patrol with bristling fur along with the others. "What are you doing on our side of the border?" Feather Moon snarled. I looked at the lions one by one. Then a familiar face was among them. _Running Breeze! Did she meet Flying Eagle yet?_ Then an idea came to me. _I can stop Flying Eagle from killing her! Then they'll both be happy!_

"You're on _our_ side of the border." one of the lions growled. Light Eyes gaped at him.

"Our scent markers are right here!" he exclaimed. A bulk looking black lion padded up to me and I growled at him.

"Back off!" I snapped. The lion looked down at me with a sneering smirk.

"Look at you. All small and bold." he chuckled. I shoved my snout into his face.

"You got five seconds to back off or my small and bold self will claw both your eyes out!" I snarled. The lion rolled his eyes and flashed his claws in my face. Light Eyes placed my tail on my shoulder.

"Leave her alone, Frost Claws." he growled. Frost Claws scoffed and backed away.

"Fine. But stay out of our territory or next time I won't be so nice." he snarled. Then he lead the patrol back to their territory. I growled and swished my tail in anger.

"That flea-bag!" I snapped. Feather Moon scoffed.

"Let's go hunting before I chase after them with unsheathed claws." she muttered. We went deeper into our territory and separated. I sniffed the air and smelt a weird scent. I followed the smell to a deer. I licked my lips and kept low to the ground. The deer's ears pricked and it ran away. I gaped at it. _I didn't even do anything! _I gave chase and saw it running over a stream. I jumped over the water and tackled the deer down.

"Gotcha!" I chuckled. I gave it a nip to it's neck and it went limp.

"Nice catch." a voice purred. I looked up to see Thunder Light. I rolled my eyes and and grabbed the deer into my jaws. "I see you still have my gift." Thunder Light smirked. I looked at my ear to see the flower he gave me. I flicked it off and walked back through the stream. I began to lift the deer onto my back so it wouldn't get wet but Thunder Light already did that. He gave me a flirty smile and raised his eyebrow. I scoffed and rolled my eyes. Then I padded through the water. "You look beautiful in the sun." Thunder Light mewed. I looked at him in annoyance.

"Charming." I muttered. Thunder Light puffed his chest out with a smile.

"I get that a lot." he sighed. I rolled my eyes. "The she-leopards just can't resist. The trail of broken hearts says it all."

"Oh so you're a heartbreaker." I said. Thunder Light flattened his ears and looked around.

"W-well-" I shoved my snout into his face.

"So what makes you think you can just hop from she-leopard to she-leopard and then think I'll settle for you? Haven't you ever thought that I'm smart enough to not get my heart broken by a tom like you?" I snapped. Thunder Light looked at the ground in shame. "Maybe if you unfreeze that block of ice in your chest, I'll consider looking in your direction." I shoved him away and took my deer out of the stream and onto the other side. Thunder Light followed me.

"Wow." he breathed. Then a tear fell down his cheek and I rolled my eyes. "No one has ever cared as much as you! You might be the one!" he cried in joy. I groaned and glared at him. _Can't this tom take a hint?!_ I padded to my patrol with Thunder Light trailing after me. Light Eyes chuckled at the annoyed look on my face.

"Look at the two love birds!" Ocean Breeze chuckled. Then she leaned on Silver Frost. "Oh great and mighty Thunder Light! How I love you so!" she sighed. Silver Frost puffed out her chest and strutted around.

"Why thank you, fair Storm Dream. You are my beautiful flower that I will cherish forever." she said in a deep voice. Then they pranced around like happy kits. Light Eyes chuckled while Feather Moon burst out laughing. I growled while Thunder Light smiled in pride.

"See? Even the cubs think that we should be together!" he purred. Then he leaned into me. "My dazzling flower." I shoved him off with a growl.

"This flower won't be so dazzling when I slice your ears off!" I snapped. Thunder Light licked my muzzle. I gasped and gaped at what just happen.

"Ewww!" Ocean Breeze and Silver Frost exclaimed, covering their eyes.

"My face… is ruined." I groaned, as Thunder Light nuzzled my cheek. Feather Moon laughed and stepped between us.

"Break up the love show! We have cubs here." she chuckled. I rolled my eyes and wiped my face with my paw. "Now let's go back to camp." I grabbed my deer and followed them to the tunnel. Thunder Light pressed himself against me and nuzzled my ear. I growled and tried to ignore him. _Just wait 'til he falls asleep…_ We walked into the camp and placed our prey on the fresh-kill pile. I looked around for any familiar faces. A cub bounced around with his siblings. _He looks just like Talon Fang!_ I shook my head. _Get it together, Leopardpaw! I can't just ask him about this dream! He's a cub right now so he won't help._ I sighed and settled down beside Light Eyes who was sharing tongues with a pretty hazel leopard. _That must be Rising Star._ I looked at her plump belly and walked over to them. Rising Star looked up at me.

"I heard you and Thunder Light are in love." she chuckled. I growled.

"He's in love. Me, not so much." I chuckled. Then I lifted my snout into the air and held my paw to my chest. "Who can blame him? I am quite lovely." I smirked. Light Eyes rolled his eyes.

"She was admiring her reflection when we went out." he chuckled. Rising Star rolled her eyes.

"You truly are Light Eyes' daughter." she joked. Light Eyes nudged her with a purr. I smiled and looked around. Everyone were sharing tongues and eating prey like a loving clan. _What Killing Storm did has changed everything. Well now that I'm here he won't get away with it._


	26. Chapter 25

I settled down into my nest with Feather Moon and Thunder Light. "Night, Storm Dream." Feather Moon murmured.

Night." I mewed.

"Goodnight, my flower." Thunder Light murmured, nuzzling my cheek. I swiped him away.

"Keep to your nest." I snapped. Feather Moon chuckled and sighed. I closed my eyes and went to sleep.

"Leopardpaw! Wake up, Leopardpaw!" a voice snapped. I jumped awake to see Talon Fang. I sighed in relief.

"Oh Talon Fang, it's you. You have no idea what I just woke up from." I breathed.

"Yes I do. I'm the one who sent the dream to you." Talon Fang snapped. "That was Leopardclan before Killing Storm came. I sent this dream early so you can be prepared and get to know my old clanmates." Silver Frost and Ocean Breeze were behind him. I looked at them to see hard expressions.

"I know what you're planning to do when you meet Running Breeze and Flying Eagle." Silver Frost growled. I flattened my ears.

"I think I like you two better when you were younger." I muttered. Ocean Breeze shoved her face into mine.

"You must never change the past! What's done is done and if you change it then everything in the future will be ruined!" she snarled.

"But they deserve to be happy!" I snapped.

"They _deserve_ to see their future kin live in peace!" Ocean Breeze snarled. "Do what you came to do. No side missions, no distractions. Focus on stopping Killing Storm." I sighed and nodded.

"Fine." I muttered. Ocean Breeze gave me a brief nod and backed away. "What happened to the fun, silly Ocean Breeze?" I muttered.

"She grew up. It's time for you to do the same." Ocean Breeze retorted. I flattened my ears.

"It's time to go back to your clan." Silver Frost said. Then she touched her nose to mine. I was sent into a bright light and a piercing pain.

"Ow!" I screeched, jumping to my paws. Bramblepaw was snickering behind me. I growled and glared at him. "If you don't stop jumping on my tail, I'll slice all your paws off and shove them down your throat!"

"You wouldn't wake up." Tawnypaw mewed. I growled and licked my tail.

"You could've shook me or something." I muttered.

"I did. I shook you like three times, jumped on you two times, and then I screamed in your ear until my throat was on fire." Tawnypaw retorted. I rolled my eyes. _So that's why my ear's ringing._ Bramblepaw led the way out of the den.

"Come on! Bluestar's called a clan meeting!" he said. I quickly followed him out into the clearing. Bluestar was looking down on the cats with a hard expression.

"Fireheart and Sandpaw have brought news. The river by Sunning Rocks has frozen over." she announced. Gasps sounded and excited murmurs spread through the clan.

"We can cross over now!" Bramblepaw exclaimed.

"We can teach Riverclan a lesson!" Swiftpaw added. Bramblepaw and Swiftpaw started chattering excitedly. I rolled my eyes with Tawnypaw.

"Toms." we muttered in unison. We laughed and watched Bluestar.

"But the air will thaw it!" a voice called. I looked over to see Graystripe. Bluestar narrowed her eyes.

"You're right." she murmured. Then she lifted her head. "Then we leave immediately!" she yowled. Cheers sounded and I saw Graystripe's eyes widened in fear. My heart started beating fast. _Riverpaw! I can't fight him!_ "Tigerclaw I want you to lead the patrol. Take Fireheart, Dustpaw, Longtail, Sandpaw, Willowpelt, Mousefur, and Darkstripe." Tigerclaw nodded and led the cats out the camp. Bramblepaw pawed the ground.

"Why can't I go?" he complained. I flicked my tail over his ear.

"That's because Sandpaw and Dustpaw are more experienced, you mouse-brain." I scoffed.

"But we know battle moves! Who's the one who fought off that fox? We did!" Bramblepaw snapped.

"With Riverclan's help." I added. Bramblepaw glared at me.

"Can you at least show a tiny bit of self pride?" he muttered. I rolled my eyes and licked my paw before drawing it over my face.

"Let's go hunting." Tawnypaw mewed. I nodded and led them out into the forest.

"Can we come?" a voice asked. I looked over to see Swiftpaw with Brackenpaw. I shrugged.

"Sure." I meowed. Then we ran out of camp and to the trees.

"Where should we hunt?" Brackenpaw asked. I narrowed my eyes in thought.

"How about Tall Pines? I bet I can catch the biggest squirrel!" I exclaimed. Swiftpaw rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, right!" he chuckled. I sniffed and ran to Tall Pines.

"Hey, wait for us!" Tawnypaw called. I chuckled as Swiftpaw tried to pull ahead of me but I stretched out my legs to cover more distance. I jumped over a log and looked down to see a silver wired thing. I froze mid leap and landed beside it.

"What is that?" Bramblepaw asked as he landed beside me. The others gathered around and stared at it. I sniffed the strange thing and wrinkled my nose in disgust.

"It smells of Twolegs!" I spat. Me and Bramblepaw walked closer to the thing.

"You mouse-brains! Get away from it!" Tawnypaw snapped. We ignored her and peered inside. Tiny pebbles were inside and I sniffed them before stepping inside the thing. Bramblepaw followed and I grunted as he pressed against me.

"There's no space for two of us in here!" I snapped.

"Then get out because I was here first." Bramblepaw retorted. I glared at him.

"Was not!"

"Was too!"

"Was not!"

"Was. Too!" Bramblepaw snapped as he shoved me into the side of the thing. I growled and shoved him back. As we tussled around in the thing, Tawnypaw's voice sounded.

"Guys, get out! The thing's gonna-" her urgent warning was cut short as a slam sounded behind us. Me and Bramblepaw turned around to see the thing closed. I gasped and pushed on it but it wouldn't budge.

"Get us out!" Bramblepaw screeched. Then trampling sounded behind us. I peeked back to see two huge Twolegs walking towards us. Swiftpaw and Brackenpaw bristled in fear.

"Go get help!" Tawnypaw snapped to them as she clawed at the wires. As Swiftpaw and Brackenpaw ran off, the Twolegs got closer. "Claw from the inside!" Tawnypaw ordered as she dug her teeth into the thing. I slashed at the wires but only got a broken claw. I hissed in pain and tried again. Then a shadow loomed over me. I looked up and saw the Twolegs standing over us. One of the Twolegs bent down to grab the thing while the other went for Tawnypaw. Me and Bramblepaw tussled around.

"Let us go!" I snarled.

"Help!" Tawnypaw screeched.

"Just wait 'til Tigerclaw get's his paws on you!" Bramblepaw growled. I looked back at my home. _Starclan, help us!_


	27. Chapter 26

Tigerclaw's POV:

I led my patrol back to camp. _Riverclan's lucky the river thawed._ I glared at Fireheart from the corner of my eye. His face had emotions all over it but they were hard to read. We walked into camp and were greeted with panicked yowls. I looked around to see Goldenflower crying into Frostfur's shoulder with Brindleface and Speckletail trying to comfort her. I ran over with worry. "What happened?" I demanded. Goldenflower looked at me with soggy eyes.

"Twolegs stole our kits!" she wailed. My whole world froze. I stumbled back then fell on my haunches. _No…_ I growled and let out a rage filled screech.

"I'll make them pay!" I snarled.

"Tigerclaw!" Bluestar's voice sounded. "Calm down." I looked at her.

"My kits are stolen by Twolegs and the thing you tell me to do is to _calm down?"_ I snarled. Bluestar remained calm and I sighed. "Sorry." I muttered.

"We'll get them back. But right now we need to think of a plan. We have to find them immediately." Bluestar meowed. I nodded and followed her to her den with the senior warriors.

Leopardpaw's POV:

It was dark by the time we made it to a red Twoleg den. I looked around in fear. _What is this place?_ Barks and meows filled the air. I looked around to see cats and dogs with small animals. They were in the same wire things as me and Bramblepaw were in. Tawnypaw was still being held by the other Twoleg. I glared at the Twoleg holding us. "Let us go!" I snarled.

"Just forget it, Leopardpaw." Bramblepaw muttered. I looked at him to see sad eyes and a drooping head. He looked away. "We're never getting out of here." I growled and lashed my tail.

"I will not turn into a kittypet!" I hissed. I clawed at the thing again but only got another broken claw. I hissed in pain then licked my paw. _Why did they take us here? We haven't done anything!_ Then we were placed down in an area that looked like a garden. I looked around to find a fence but couldn't find any. Other cats were in here as well. They stared at us as the Twolegs placed us down on the ground. As the Twoleg holding Tawnypaw put her down, she darted to the thing and started clawing at it. The Twoleg let out a chuckle and pulled a lever on the thing and it opened. Me and Bramblepaw sprinted out of the thing and ran to the entrance with Tawnypaw. The Twolegs closed off the entrance with a tall wooden thing. We ran into it with a thud. I growled and glared at the Twolegs. "Let us go!" I snarled. The Twoleg smiled and patted my head. I swiped it's paw away with unsheathed claws. The Twoleg flinched and let out a yelp. "I'll do a whole lot worse if you do that again!" I threatened. The Twolegs shooed us away then quickly went out the entrance. I clawed at the wooden thing but nothing worked. I sighed in defeat and sat down. Bramblepaw and Tawnypaw were bristling beside me as they looked at the cats. I turned around to see two toms and a she-cat walking towards us. I jumped to my paws and glared at them.

"We don't want any trouble." the she-cat, a pale tabby with blue eyes, mewed. I narrowed my eyes. "I'm Cream. These are my brothers Spike and Roger." I looked at them. Spike was a brown tom with stripes running down his flanks with blue eyes and Roger was a white tom with ginger patches and green eyes.

"We just want to say welcome." Roger meowed.

"Thanks for the introduction and the heart warming welcome." Bramblepaw mewed. Then he looked around. "Now show us the exit." I cuffed his ear.

"Stop being rude!" I snapped.

"I'm Tawnypaw. These are my siblings Bramblepaw and Leopardpaw." Tawnypaw mewed. "We're from Thunderclan."

"Thunderclan?" Spike meowed. The three shared a look and Cream's eyes lit up.

"Oh! You're those wild cats that live in the forest!" she exclaimed. I nodded. Cream sighed and sat down. "Our house folk were inside the den and we decided to go out and explore. Next thing we know, we ended up in here." she muttered. Bramblepaw scoffed.

"More kittypets." he muttered. I nudged him.

"Hush, Bramblepaw!" I scolded. Then I turned to the three littermates. "It's really nice meeting you three but we really need to get out of here. Our clan needs us." Spike scoffed.

"You think we haven't tried to get out of here? Only the Twolegs can let us out." he muttered. I growled and pawed the ground.

"Well I'm not going to just sit here and wait for those Twolegs to come back and pet me." I snapped. I looked around and saw a black screen on the side of the wall. I narrowed my eyes and saw movement on the other side. "What is that?" I asked. Cream followed my gaze.

"It's the window the Twolegs look into to make sure we're ok." she mewed. I scoffed.

"Well I'm not ok. Why don't they come down here to hear my complaint?" I snapped. Cream chuckled and flicked her ear.

"Frisky over there is trying to make the yarn into big heavy balls so we can throw them at the window." she chuckled, beckoning to a gray tom with white stripes. His back was turned to us as his paws moved back and forth, making balls out of the so called yarn. I heard him muttering to himself as he worked.

"Great. Three kittypets, crazy catnapping Twolegs, and a tom who lost his mind. Can this get any worse?" Bramblepaw muttered. Then the entrance opened.

"The door!" Roger exclaimed. A Twoleg walked through the door with a huge bag. It walked over to the silver round things in the corner of the area. Then it poured the bag into the things and rabbit droppings spilled out. As it finished, cats padded over to eat them. I wrinkled my nose in disgust.

"You eat rabbit droppings?" I asked in disgust.

"They're actually pretty good." Cream mewed, taking a bite. I watched her in disgust while Bramblepaw gagged.

"That's disgusting! I spoke too soon! Now we have three kittypets, crazy catnapping Twolegs, a tom who lost his mind, and rabbit droppings for food!" he snapped. I sighed and watched as the Twoleg walked out the door.

"How are we going to get out of here?" Tawnypaw asked. I shrugged and looked around.

"Maybe we can dig in that corner over there with the broken down wall?" I suggested. Tawnypaw shook her head.

"If that worked then the wall will come crashing down on us." she said. I looked for something else.

"Ok…. how about-"

"Twolegs will see us." Tawnypaw broke in, following my gaze.

"The-"

"Will cause the roof to fall." Tawnypaw muttered. I glared at her.

"Well ok then, smarty mouse! Since you know the bad things, go find some good things!" I snapped. Tawnypaw rolled her eyes and looked at Frisky. He had a huge pile of yarn balls in the corner of the room.

"Maybe his idea will work." Tawnypaw meowed. I rolled my eyes.

"Maybe but we'll need to distract the Twolegs on the other side of the window." I said. Tawnypaw nodded in agreement.

"Psst!" a whisper sounded. I jerked my gaze over to Frisky. Frisky was beckoning me to come over. I shared an uneasy glance with Tawnypaw then walked over to him. Bramblepaw followed. "I need you three to help me tie these yarn balls to that corner over there." Frisky whispered. I raised an eyebrow.

"Why…?" I asked. Frisky scoffed.

"I don't have to explain myself to you! Help me tie these up and you'll find out later in the future!" he snapped. I shared a look with my siblings then nodded. We dragged the balls to the corner of the area that was across from the window. "Get out the way! Yarn balls coming through!" Frisky snapped to the other cats. Then he rolled the balls onto a net like thing. "Grab the corners of the net and pull them up to the top of the pile." he instructed. I grabbed one corner of the net and dragged it up with the others. Frisky started tying the corners together then padded over to rope hanging from one of the cat towers. He pulled on the rope and the net lifted the balls into the air. "Come help!" Frisky snapped around the rope. We went behind him and grabbed the rope with our jaws and pulled the net higher and Frisky beckoned us to back up. As we moved, he tied the rope to a pole and looked at his work. "Perfect!" he exclaimed. Then he got a longer rope and tied it to a rope in the middle of the area that had other ropes tied to different corners with nets of balls. "You three can go and… do whatever you wild cats do. Leave me to my masterpiece." Frisky said, waving his tail in dismissal. I followed my siblings away from Frisky.

"I told you. A tom who lost his mind." Bramblepaw murmured. I scoffed and Tawnypaw rolled her eyes.

"What now?" Tawnypaw muttered. We sat down in a corner and sighed.

"We're never going home." I muttered. _How am I supposed to save the clans from destruction if I'm stuck here? Riverpaw doesn't even know what happened! He'll be worried sick!_ My heart ached and I settled my head on my paws to sleep.

Tigerclaw's POV:

I followed Bluestar through Twoleg place with Fireheart leading the way. I glared at him as he told the warriors about the place like he was a leader. _Enjoy it while you can because when I'm leader, you won't be able to set a paw in the forest._ "I think they went to the animal shelter not far from here. If we move quick enough then we'll be able to get there by dawn." Fireheart announced. Darkstripe scoffed beside me.

"Why are we taking orders from a kittypet?" he muttered. I snickered in agreement.

"Don't worry. It won't last long." I chuckled. I caught Fireheart's gaze. His eyes struggled to stay strong but I sensed them shrinking under my glare. Finally he looked away and led the way down the path. I grinned as I watched him go. _Fireheart will be crushed when I get my paws on him._ I looked behind me and saw Goldenflower. _Bluestar shouldn't have let her come. Not when she's too vulnerable._ As if reading my mind, Goldenflower's gaze jerked to mine. She let out an exaggerated sigh and rolled her eyes.

"Honestly Tigerclaw, I can take care of myself just fine. Worry about our kits." she snapped. I chuckled at her sharp tongue. _Has a sharp tongue but a heart full of gold. That's what I love about her._ I looked back up front. Then a she-cat crept into my mind. I clawed her out in anger. _Dawncloud means nothing to me. I will always appreciate her giving me Leopardpaw but she is dead to me._ Bluestar raised her tail. We froze and looked at a den with animals on the side. I ran up to the tabby cat on the wall.

"You there! Tell me where to find three wild cats!" I demanded. The cat stayed still and didn't answer. _Did it even blink?_ I growled and shoved my nose into its snout. The cat's snout was hard and flat. "Do you hear me talking to you? Answer me!" I snarled. Fireheart looked at me weirdly.

"It's not a real cat. The Twolegs just use their images as decoration." he meowed. I backed away from the wall in embarrassment and anger. I saw Fireheart's gaze flash with amusement and smug. I growled. _He dare embarrass me like that? Well two can play at that game._ I followed Bluestar around the den.

"How are we going to get in there?" Goldenflower asked. I looked at the steps to see Twolegs going in and out of the entrance.

"Let's go through there." I said. Fireheart shook his head.

"The Twolegs will see us. There's more inside." he meowed. I growled.

"How about through here?" a voice asked. I looked over to see Graystripe by a hole in the wall. I peered inside and only saw darkness.

"I'll go scout ahead." I said. Then I crept through. The hole was dark and musty. I smelt different scents and sounds of other animals filled the air. _Are those dogs?_ I crept further into the hole then saw light. I quickened my pace and peeked out. Dogs were in wire things and were barking at unseen objects. I growled and crept back through the hole. "All clear. There's dogs on the other side but they're trapped." I reported. Bluestar nodded and led the way through. I followed closely behind her with Fireheart behind me. I smiled slyly and smacked my tail across his face over and over. I heard him growl and sneeze. I even kicked up a little dirt just for the fun of it. _Taste that kittypet!_ I continued kicking dirt in his face, until Bluestar halted. I froze before I could run into her haunches and felt Fireheart run into me. "Watch it!" I snapped, even though I was smiling with smug. Bluestar stepped out of the hole and I followed. Dogs barked louder as we came into sight.

"Everyone stay close and don't panic." Bluestar said calmly. I scoffed and followed her down the path. The dogs threw themselves at the wire things with spit running down their lips. I wrinkled my nose in disgust. _Such hideous creatures._ Then we made it to an entrance. I spat at the dogs before following Bluestar out. We looked around with pricked ears. I sniffed the air and tried to catch a familiar scent. Stale Twoleg scents filled my nose but they couldn't hide the ones I knew most.

"This way!" I exclaimed. I followed my kits' scents down the path until we came to an entrance. "They're on the other side!" I flung myself at the wooden thing. "Kits! Can any of you hear me?" I called. I waited a moment but heard nothing. I flung myself again. "Kits!"

"Tigerclaw?" a voice mewed. I widened my eyes.

"Tawnypaw! I'm on the other side!" I called. Excited squeals sounded.

"You came to save us!" Leopardpaw's voice squealed.

"I told you he would!" Bramblepaw exclaimed. I smiled in pride.

"Now's not the time! How can we get inside?" I asked.

"Only the Twolegs can open the door but there's another door beside us that has a window! The Twolegs can look at us from there!" Leopardpaw called. I nodded and looked at the others.

"Find the door!" Bluestar ordered. I turned back to the door while the others scurried off.

"We'll get you three out as soon as we can!" I called.


	28. Chapter 27

Leopardpaw's POV:

I bounced in excitement. "We're getting out of here!" I purred.

"And how is that?" a voice asked. I looked over to see Frisky.

"Our clan came to rescue us. They're going distract the Twolegs so we can figure a way out of here." Bramblepaw explained. Frisky's eyes widened and he gave a little bounce.

"That's brilliant! My plan will finally work!" he exclaimed. I tilted my head in confusion.

"What plan?" I asked. Frisky beckoned to the yarn balls.

"Why else am I making these yarn balls? I'm not doing it out of my enjoyment!" he chuckled. "When the Twolegs are distracted, I'll cut the rope that ties the nets all together and when it's released, the nets will make the yarn balls fly into the window making the glass break and then we can escape." I nodded my head in thought.

"That's… actually a great idea!" I exclaimed. Frisky purred in delight and turned to everyone.

"My friends! Grab your squeaky toys and kibble because soon we are escaping this place!" he yowled. Cheers sounded and squeaky toys flew in the air. I growled as a mouse fell on my head and Cream ran over to it.

"Sorry." she chuckled as she grabbed it in her jaws. _I will never understand kittypets._ Then a thud sounded against the window. I jerked my gaze to see Tigerclaw attacking a Twoleg causing it to press against the glass and I smiled in pride. Frisky ran to the rope and stuck out a claw.

"Ready?" he called. Everyone gathered around the window in anticipation. "Aim… Fire!" then Frisky sliced his claw through the rope. The yarn balls flew through the air and smashed into the window causing the glass to shatter. I let out a battle cry as we all jumped out of the window and out the door.

"We're free!" Roger yowled. Bluestar called the clan together and we ran out with the other cats. A Twoleg was holding the main entrance open and it let out a yelp of surprise as we charged through. I burst out into the open air with my clan.

"Free at last!" Bramblepaw howled into the sky. We ran a little longer until the den was out of sight. I stopped and panted as our clanmates gathered around us. Tigerclaw slammed into us and we rolled around in the dirt. I grunted and squealed as he pinned us to the ground and gave us licks to our faces.

"I was so worried about you three!" he purred loudly. Goldenflower was beside him and held us down as she gave us licks. I struggled to get out of their grasp but they held on firmly.

"You three are the most troublesome kits in all the clans! First sneaking out when you were kits, then sneaking out when you're apprentices, and now getting catnapped by Twolegs!" Goldenflower chuckled.

"Now this was all _their_ fault! I had nothing to do with this! I told them to get away from the wire thing but they didn't listen. No one ever listens to me." Tawnypaw said. I rolled my eyes.

"That's because you're no fun." Bramblepaw teased. Tawnypaw swiped his nose playfully.

"I can be fun! I just know when to be responsible too." she retorted. Goldenflower purred.

"That's right. You two need to act the same when you become a warrior." she meowed. I rolled my eyes as Tawnypaw lifted her head with pride.

"Are you three alright?" Bluestar asked. I nodded.

"You will not believe what happened! They gave us rabbit droppings for food!" Bramblepaw exclaimed.

"I'm sure Fireheart knows all about that." Tigerclaw meowed innocently. Fireheart bristled and looked at the ground in hurt. Graystripe nuzzled his shoulder comfortingly. _What's going on between Tigerclaw and Fireheart?_ I got to my paws and followed everyone back to Tall Pines. The grass crunched under my paws sending me into a purr. _We're home._ We walked through the trees and to camp. Welcoming purrs were there when we arrived.

"What happened?" Swiftpaw asked excitedly.

"Yesm tell us!" Cloudkit squeaked. I smiled and opened my mouth.

"I'm sure you all can hear the story later. These three need to rest." Bluestar meowed. I looked at her with a smile.

"I got time to spare." I mewed. Bluestar chuckled and padded off to her den. I jumped onto the tree stump and puffed out my chest as the clan gathered around me. Bramblepaw and Tawnypaw sat beside me. "It all started when we went hunting by Tall Pines…" 

I woke up to the sound of chittering and I yawned before climbing to my paws. _Where's Tawnypaw and Bramblepaw?_ I looked at my fur but only saw my usual body. _I'm not having a dream…_ I padded out of my den and saw the clan gathered around Bluestar. "As you all know, Shadowclan scents have been detected in our territory. We have seen a possibility of Riverclan and Shadowclan uniting against us." Bluestar announced. I gasped as the clan let out shocked yowls. _Riverclan… Shadowclan… against us?_ I looked at Bluestar. "We must be prepared to fight. From now on, there will be more frequent patrols. Two before dawn and one after." Then she jumped down from the High Rock and I padded back to my den. _What if we have to fight? I can't fight Riverpaw! And even though Dawncloud's a traitor and a liar… she's still my mother._ I shook my head and settled back down in my nest.


	29. Chapter 28

I sniffed for anything suspicious among the roots of an oak tree. I was on patrol with Fireheart, Whitestorm, Mousefur, and Sandpaw. I looked around and saw Fireheart's head deep in a bush and I narrowed my eyes. "Find anything, Fireheart?" I asked. Fireheart's tail quivered and he dragged out a pile of rabbit bones. I gasped and ran over to them.

"Can you smell that?" Fireheart growled. I sniffed the bones and my neck fur bristled.

"Shadowclan." I observed. Fireheart nodded and led me over to where the rest of the patrol was. Fireheart dropped the bones in front of Whitestorm's paws. Whitestorm's nose twitched and his fur bristled.

"Where did you find this?" he asked. Fireheart beckoned to the bush he was just in earlier. Whitestorm growled and picked up the bones. "We must show this to Bluestar immediately!" I followed them back to camp and felt waves of rage among them. "Bluestar!" Whitestorm called. Tigerclaw padded over to us.

"She's not here. She's on patrol." he meowed. Then he narrowed his eyes at the pile of bones. "What are those?"

"Shadowclan has been hunting our prey!" Whitestorm growled. Tigerclaw's eyes flashed with fury.

_"What?!"_ he snarled. As the two warriors were talking to each other, Bramblepaw padded out.

"What's all the yelling about?" he asked.

"Shadowclan's been hunting our prey. We have proof." I explained. Bramblepaw's lip curled in disgust.

"Those crow-food eaters!" he spat. I nodded in agreement. Tigerclaw gathered some warriors with his tail.

"We must teach Shadowclan a lesson!" he declared.

"Why can't Fireheart go since he found the bones?" Sandpaw asked. Tigerclaw glared at the orange tom.

"Fireheart can stay here in case Bluestar comes back." he growled. Then Tigerclaw led the warriors out into the forest. I looked at Fireheart to see him narrowing his eyes.

"Who is on Bluestar's patrol?" he asked.

"Longtail, Willowpelt, Graystripe, Darkstripe, and Swiftpaw." Sandpaw meowed. I widened my eyes. _That means all the other warriors are gone… and only Fireheart is left._ Yellowfang came out to sniff the bones. Her hackles rose as she smelled them.

"This isn't Shadowclan! It's Brokenstar!" she exclaimed. I gasped and my fur bristled in anger. _That rogue catnapped me, Cinderpaw, and Brackenpaw when we were kits! Oh when I get my paws on him…_ "You must stop Tigerclaw from attacking Shadowclan!" Yellowfang snapped. Fireheart nodded.

"Brackenpaw!" he called. The young apprentice stumbled out of the den. "You must find Tigerclaw and tell him that it was Brokenstar who hunted the rabbit! You might have to cross the Thunderpath." Brackenpaw nodded and ran out the camp. Fireheart paced around while Yellowfang sniffed the bones. Tawnypaw padded beside me.

"What's going on?" she called. Fireheart looked at her then scrambled onto the High Rock. _Well that was a bit dramatic. He could've just told her right here._

"The clan is in danger! Come out here now!" Fireheart called. The rest of the camp padded out into the clearing.

"What are you doing up there?" One-eye snapped.

"Brokenstar is back! The other warriors are gone and we must be prepared to fight. Kits and elders, stay in your dens while the rest of you be ready-" Fireheart broke off as a menacing snicker sounded behind us. I turned around to see Brokenstar with the cats who were chased out along side him.

"So you're the only warrior left? This will be easier than I thought!" he chuckled. I lined up in front of the High Rock with the others and ruffled out my fur to twice my size. Brokenstar's gaze scorched over me and he let out a snicker before crouching low. "Attack!" he yowled. The clearing broke out into wrestling cats. I ran over to Brokenstar but got bowled over by Clawface. His breath hit my face and I gagged.

"You think you can win this fight?" he sneered. I sliced his nose causing him to let out a yelp. I shoved him off and leapt at him. Clawface met me in the air and clawed my shoulders. I growled and tackled him to the ground. We tussled around until Clawface dug his claws into my belly. I yowled in pain as he sliced it over and over. I struggled to get free but the pain was unbearable.

"Leave my kit alone, you fox breath!" Goldenflower snarled. I looked over to see her leaping at Clawface. She knocked him over and the two cats fought in the dirt. I shook my head and ran to help her. Brokenstar blocked my way and I growled.

"Get out of my territory, you mange-pelt!" I snarled. Then I leapt at him. Brokenstar dodged me and ran to the medicine den. _Cinderpaw!_ I ran after him but got knocked aside by a fleeing rogue who was getting chased by Frostfur. I looked at the queen in surprise and a little shock. Frostfur stopped and snarled after the feeling tom. Then she turned her gaze to me. I stared at her in bewilderment. Frostfur cleared her throat and gave me an innocent smile.

"Just… got a little carried away I guess." she chuckled nervously. I chuckled and shook my head. A yowl sounded from the medicine den. I gasped and ran over with Fireheart. We both looked inside to see Brokenstar on the ground with Yellowfang beside him. His eyes were clawed badly and he whimpered on the ground. Yellowfang stared down at him in shock. I slowly walked to them but Fireheart held me back.

"Is everything alright?" he asked. Yellowfang looked at me and nodded.

"Please don't kill me." Brokenstar whimpered. I glared at him. _How pathetic._ Fireheart looked at me.

"Why don't you just end him?" I asked. Yellowfang looked at me as if I lost my mind.

"I can't kill him!" she gasped.

"Why not? He kicked you out of Shadowclan and he attacked us!" Fireheart meowed. Yellowfang looked down for a brief then looked at him.

"He's my son." she meowed. Me and Fireheart gaped at her.

"But… but medicine cats can't have kits!" I exclaimed.

"You think I don't know that? I made a mistake that I will regret for the rest of my life. Now it is my time to pay." Yellowfang snapped. Fireheart beckoned me to get out. I nodded and walked back to the clearing. Everyone was alright and Clawface's body lied in the middle of the clearing. _Did Goldenflower do that?_ I looked at Goldenflower. She saw the shocked look in my eyes and she shook her head.

"I could never kill a cat." she mewed. I nodded. "Graystripe did that." I looked at the gray tom by Sandpaw. _When did he get back?_ Then Tigerclaw and Bluestar's patrol ran through. They looked around in shock and Brackenpaw padded over to Fireheart.

"I caught them before they could even cross the Thunderpath." he reported. Fireheart nodded in approval and walked to Bluestar. They murmured together and Bluestar nodded. Then she jumped on top of the High Rock.

"I am proud of you all for fighting so bravely and I am happy you are alright. But I have been aware of two apprentices who fought hard for their clan and I could not think of any reward other than to give them their warrior names." she announced. "Sandpaw and Dustpaw, step forward." The two cats looked at each other with shock and surprise as they ran to Bluestar. I smiled at them. "I, Bluestar, leader of Thunderclan, would like you to look down on these two apprentices. They have trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and I like you to make them a warrior in return. Sandpaw and Dustpaw. Do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend this clan, even at the cost of your life?"

"I do." they vowed.

"Then by the powers of Starclan, I give you your warrior names. Sandpaw, from this moment on you will be known as Sandstorm. Starclan honors your bravery and enthusiasm and we like to welcome you as a full warrior of Thunderclan." Bluestar meowed. Sandstorm licked her shoulder then stepped back. "Dustpaw, from this moment you shall be known as Dustpelt. Starclan honors your strength and courage and we would like to welcome you as a full warrior of Thunderclan." As Dustpelt did the same for Bluestar, the clan cheered their new names.

"Dustpelt! Sandstorm! Dustpelt! Sandstorm!" the clan cheered. I joined in. Then the clan went to go say their congratulations. Tigerclaw padded up to me and my siblings.

"I'm so proud of you three. Soon, that will be you up there." he purred. I lifted my head with pride.

"Bluestar!" Yellowfang called. I looked over to see her with Brokenstar who was trying to follow her tail. Everyone growled. "I have blinded Brokenstar but I wish for you to not kill him." Gasps sounded and Bluestar narrowed her eyes.

"Why?" she asked. Yellowfang held her gaze.

"If we did then we'll be no better than he is." she meowed. Murmurs filled the clan and Bluestar raised her tail for silence.

"Alright if that is what you wish. Brokenstar, you are no longer a leader so will have the name Brokentail. Brokentail will be guarded every day and night. He is to not leave the camp." Bluestar announced. Tigerclaw nodded. The clan dispersed and went back to their usual duties. Glares and murmurs were directed at Yellowfang and Brokentail. I looked at the warriors picking up Clawface's body.

"Wow! A dead cat!" Cloudkit exclaimed from the nursery.

"Hush, Cloudkit!" Brindleface scolded. I saw a glitter in her eyes. "If you don't come back in here then the dead cat will come back to life and haunt you." Cloudkit squeaked in fear and widened his eyes.

"He can't do that!" he mewed with a quivery voice. Brindleface gave him an evil chuckle.

"Don't let him hear you say that. Look! See? His tail is twitching right now." she said. I looked over to see Clawface's tail swaying back and forth as the cats dragged him out. I rolled my eyes as Cloudkit squeaked in fear and ran inside the nursery.

"Kits." I chuckled under my breath. I padded to my den and settled in my nest.

I woke up to a tongue smoothing down my fur. I looked up to see Thunder Light. His eyes looked at me as I stirred. "Good morning, my dazzling flower. Sweet dreams, I hope." he purred. I rolled my eyes and shook him off. "I brought a deer for you. It's your favorite." I looked at him. _He's really trying._ I felt a little flattered at his affection.

"Thank you, but I'm not really hungry." I murmured. Thunder Light shrugged.

"That's ok. Maybe we can share it later?" he mewed. I sighed. _He's not going to give up that easily._

"Later." I meowed. Thunder Light lifted his muzzle in happiness. I rolled my eyes and padded out of the den.

"The gathering's today. Wonder what's going to happen." Thunder Light said as he followed me out. I looked at him in thought.

"Me too." I mewed. I looked around and saw Talon Fang with a handsome tom. _Flying Eagle!_ I began to walk to him but Ocean Breeze's words rang through my ears. I sighed and turned away. _I wish things could be different._ I padded over to the other leopards who were gathered around a huge rock.

"I found it first!" a snap sounded. I looked over to see two cubs arguing over a rabbit.

"I get first bite!" the other snapped.

"Do not!"

"Do too!"

"Come on, you two." a meowed broke in. I looked over to see a younger version of Lightning Wolf. "You both can get first bite. After all, sharing is caring." I struggled to hold in my scoff. The two cubs looked at each other then back to him.

"Well I don't care!" they snapped. Then they went back to their arguing. I chuckled as Lightning Wolf rolled his eyes. _What happened to this Lightning Wolf?_ An old she-leopard jumped onto the rock and everyone silenced before sitting down. _She must be the leader._ As the leader opened her mouth to speak, the cubs complaining broke in.

"But I caught it!" one whined. A hush silenced them. The two cubs looked at their leader with flattened ears. "Sorry, Crystal Sky." Crystal Sky chuckled and turned back to her clan.

"As you all know, the gathering is going to start soon." she rasped. I tilted my head. _Their gatherings are early._ "The leopards who are coming are Swooping Thorn, Spotted Owl, Mouse Flight, Storming Thunder, Swirling Water, Flaming Ocean, Thunder Light, Silver Frost, Flying Eagle, Ocean Breeze, Storm Dream, and Feather Moon. Gather at the entrance so we can go." I followed Feather Moon to the entrance.

"Tonight should be interesting. I wonder what Lionclan has to say for themselves about the border crossing." Feather Moon meowed. I scoffed.

"Probably some excuse." I muttered. Feather Moon chuckled and Flying Eagle padded beside us.

"Maybe something's wrong in their territory?" he suggested casually. I narrowed my eyes. _He's defending them… so does that mean he already met Running Breeze?_ Feather Moon shrugged.

"Whatever it is, we'll find out soon enough." she mewed. I nodded and Ocean Breeze walked up to me. She gave a nervous look to Silver Frost and a ginger leopard who were behind her giving her encouraging nods. I narrowed my eyes.

"What's up, Ocean Breeze?" I asked. Ocean Breeze shuffled her paws in the dirt and looked around.

"We- I mean I was just wondering if you and and Thunder Light are um… mates?" she said. I rolled my eyes.

"Of course not! That self centered, heartbreaking tom will never be my mate." I scoffed. Ocean Breeze sighed in relief.

"Good because Silver Frost really-"

"Ocean Breeze, no!" Silver Frost hissed as she tackled her sister down. Ocean Breeze grunted in surprise. "You promised not to tell!" The ginger leopard ran up to them.

"Sorry about that, Storm Dream. Ocean Breeze's just a falcon-brain." he chuckled. I narrowed my eyes.

"Ok…?" I mewed. The tom gave me a nervous smile before shooing the sisters away. I shared a weird look with Feather Moon.

"I've never seen Silver Frost so shaken up." she observed as she watched them go. I shrugged.

"Probably ate a bad rabbit." I joked. Feather Moon purred in amusement then turned to the front. We made it to a clearing full of cats. Lions and tigers were on either side. I widened my eyes. _Lionclan and Tigerclan! They look a lot bigger than what the stories told!_ I walked into the clearing with Feather Moon and I watched as Flying Eagle padded over to Running Breeze. They gave each other a smile then snuck out the clearing. I smiled as I watched them.

"Cats of the clans! The gathering has begun!" Tigerclan's leader yowled. Crystal Sky jumped up to her place beside the leaders.

"Greetings Lily Storm and Falcon Feather. Things well in your clan, I hope?" she meowed. Lily Storm, Lionclan's leader, gave her a friendly nod.

"Things are brilliant. We have two new warriors, Flame Slayer and Sharp Fang." she announced. Cheers sounded for the warriors and Falcon Feather looked at them.

"Congratulations, Lily Storm. Hunting's been well in our territory. We had a bear cross into our territory but, of course, without effort my warriors chased it out." he said.

"That's great news!" a voice exclaimed. We looked back to see a black tiger with silver stripes standing before the clans. The tom gave everyone a sly smile and his gaze didn't waver as he met mine. "Great clans… I am Killing Storm."


	30. Chapter 29

I widened my eyes. _Killing Storm!_ I growled as he walked down the row of cats and jumped up beside the leaders. "Who are you?" Crystal Sky asked. Killing Storm lifted his snout into the air and strutted around the leaders.

"I am the cat who knows all and sees all. Past, future, and present." he boasted. I glared at him.

"Who does he think he is?" Feather Moon whispered to me. I nodded but kept my gaze fixed on the tom. Falcon Feather scoffed.

"Oh really? Tell me what happens before the next gathering." he challenged. Killing Storm shrugged.

"A leopard will betray his clan by mating with a lion from Lionclan. A heartbreaker's heart will be broken by the leopard he truly loves. A tiger will die of illness." he stated bluntly. Gasps and outraged yowls filled the air. I glared at Killing Storm with my lips curled in a snarl. _How dare he call out Flying Eagle and Running Breeze?_ I dug my claws into the ground and I struggled not to leap at him. Lily Storm raised her tail for silence.

"Enough!" she snapped. Then she turned her gaze to Killing Storm. "You have no right to barge in like this. Leave immediately or you will be punished." she ordered. Killing Storm scoffed and flicked his ears.

"I was only trying to help." he said innocently. Then he padded away from the clans. I stood up and walked to him.

"Leave him be, Storm Dream!" Crystal Sky ordered. I growled as Killing Storm flicked his tail in smug. Then he caught my glare.

"Don't worry, young leopard. I'm sure we'll meet again." he snickered. Then he left. Feather Moon nudged me back to my spot.

"The gathering is over." Lily Storm announced. The clans separated and went their way back to their territory. I walked beside Feather Moon and Thunder Light and I was bristling with fury.

"How can that rogue do that?" Thunder Light growled.

"He has no right!" I agreed. Feather Moon's eyes glowed with thought.

"What if the things he said are true?" she wondered. I shared a look with Thunder Light.

"Don't let that cat get to you." Thunder Light meowed. "He's nothing but bad news." I nodded. _Bad news that I'm going to get rid of._ We walked into camp and the rest of the clan gathered to hear what happened. Crystal Sky jumped onto the rock and told them what happened. Gasps filled the air and I looked around to see Flying Eagle. His eyes were grave but his face didn't show any expression. I looked at him with sympathy. _Poor Flying Eagle…_

"What are we going to do about this cat? What if he comes back?" an elder rasped.

"I was just getting to that. Warriors if you see this cat, chase him out and if he refuses to listen, then kill him. This cat does not belong here and we will not get involved with him. Do you understand?" Crystal Sky said. Murmurs of agreement filled the air. "Good. This meeting is over." I walked back out of the tunnel and sniffed the air. _Where is that stupid tom? _I looked around and padded back to the gathering area. I sniffed the air and caught a whiff of his scent.

"Aha! I got you now." I snickered. I turned around with my head close to the ground as I followed his scent. Then I bumped into something. I looked up to see Killing Storm. He had a sly smirk on his face and his eyes glittered with menace.

"Oh no! You found me!" Killing Storm cried mockingly. I growled and crouched low in attacking position. Killing Storm scoffed and flicked his ears. "You're kidding me. Please tell me you're kidding me."

"What are you doing here, Killing Storm? Whatever it is your planning, I suggest you cancel those plans and skip on out of here. We all know you don't belong here." I snarled.

"Oh Leopardpaw, don't even go there." Killing Storm smirked. "This was _my_ home. And you're invading it. You're not a true leopard. Leopards have pride and self confidence. You shrink under anyone's gaze." I flattened my ears but I didn't back down. "And leopards are loyal and follow the warrior code. You break it every minute you spend with Riverpaw. You break it every second you're alive." Killing Storm chuckled. Then in a low snarl he added, "Half-clan." I growled and leapt at him. Killing Storm dodged and swiped my flank as I passed. I swirled around and tackled him to the ground. Killing Storm grasped my neck and held me close to his chest. His arms were choking me and I couldn't breathe. "I think it's time that I take matter into my own paws. Don't you think?" Killing Storm snarled as he held me harder and tighter. My eyes were slowly closing and my lungs were on fire.

"Leave her alone!" a voice snarled. Killing Storm's arms released my throat as my savior bowled him over. I gasped for breath and looked at my rescuer. _Ocean Breeze! The older Ocean Breeze!_ "You stupid excuse of a tiger! Get away from the clans and never come back!" she snarled. Killing Storm shoved her off and bared his fangs.

"Stay out of this, you lousy cat!" he snarled. Then he turned his glare to me. "And you! Don't think you won anything! We're just getting started!" Then he ran into the trees. I panted heavily and looked at Ocean Breeze.

"Thanks." I meowed. Ocean Breeze looked at me.

"I have to go. Someone's coming. Be careful, Leopardpaw. If you die here… you'll never wake up in your own world." she murmured.


	31. Chapter 30

"Storm Dream!" a voice called. I turned to the voice then back at Ocean Breeze but she was gone. "Storm Dream!" the voice called again. I shook my head and ran to the voice.

"I'm here!" I said. The voice was Thunder Light and Light Eyes. Light Eyes sighed in relief and ran to me.

"Are you alright? We heard fighting so we came to check it out." he meowed.

"I'm fine. Just had a little fight with Killing Storm." I said. Light Eyes and Thunder Light growled.

"That tom must leave the forest." Thunder Light hissed. Light Eyes beckoned us to follow him and we went back to camp. My chest was heaving from Killing Storm choking me and I struggled to keep up with them. Thunder Light looked at me. "Are you sure you're alright?" he asked.

"I'm fine. Just out of breath." I mewed.

"When we get to camp, I want you to rest. Go straight to your nest and we'll handle this with Crystal Sky." Light Eyes ordered. I nodded. Then we padded through camp. I made my way to the den and settled in my nest. I let out a deep breath and closed my eyes.

I woke up back in Thunderclan. I yawned and padded out the den. I looked around to see the snow clearing up. I smiled as a slightly warm breeze ruffled my fur. _New leaf is coming._ I breathed in the fresh scent of my home mingled with the scents of my clanmates. I looked around and saw Tigerclaw sharing tongues with Goldenflower and my littermates. I padded over to them. My nose twitched as an unfamiliar scent filled my nose. Tigerclaw smelt it too because he lifted his head with his gaze somber and his ears pricked. Then a cat burst into the clearing. I gasped as he was covered in blood and scratches. Fireheart ran over to him. "Onewhisker!" he exclaimed. Onewhisker looked at Fireheart with wide eyes full of fear.

"Riverclan and Shadowclan! They attacked our camp and we're outnumbered! We need help!" he exclaimed. Bluestar ran out of her den and called the clan together.

"It's as we feared! Riverclan and Shadowclan have united and are trying to chase out Windclan. We will help you, Onewhisker." she meowed. Tigerclaw called warriors together.

"Apprentices you will come too. It's time you all got a taste of battle." he meowed. I ran to the gathered warriors and we ran out into the forest. Bluestar and Onewhisker were in the lead. Tigerclaw ran beside me and my siblings. "I want you three to be careful. Remember the training you have learned and don't give up. You are Thunderclan kits. You are _my_ kits. We will never be defeated. Even when we lose, we win." he said. I nodded and ran faster as the sound of screeching cats filled the air. We burst into Windclan's territory and saw cats clawing cats.

"Thunderclan! Attack!" Bluestar yowled. We let out a battle cry and leapt into battle. I attacked a Shadowclan warrior who was pinning down a Windclan she-cat. The tom snarled at me and swiped at my face. I dodged his attacks and leapt at his belly. I bowled him over and we rolled around in the dirt with our claws deep in each other's backs. The she-cat leapt in to help me and we swiped the tom back with sharp claws. The warrior hissed and fled away into the battle. The she-cat blinked at me in thanks and chased after him. I looked around and saw Tawnypaw and Bramblepaw fighting side by side. Swiftpaw was cornered by two Riverclan warriors and was desperately fighting them off. I ran to his side and swiped at the cats' faces. One of the cats slashed at my eye causing blood to spill. I hissed in pain and tore the cat's ear. Swiftpaw shoved the warrior he was fighting away while clawing at the warrior I was fighting. I nodded to him and ran to help someone else. Then I saw Fireheart struggling with Crookedstar. I ran to him but someone ran into me. We both fell to the ground and jumped to our paws. I widened my eyes at who it was. _Riverpaw! _His flanks were heaving and his gaze looked at me with fear. We stood there staring at each other, unsure of what to do. Then Riverpaw's gaze looked to the side. I looked to see him staring at a tom who had a look of distrust. Riverpaw closed his eyes for a brief moment then they opened to reveal sorrow and pain.

"I'm sorry." he whispered. Then he leapt at me with unsheathed claws. I gaped at him as he bowled me over. _He… he attacked me…_ I didn't move at first but Silver Frost's words filled my ears. _Running Breeze couldn't bring herself to harm her mate… so she let him kill her._ I shook myself and snapped out of it. I glared at Riverpaw and unsheathed my claws. _Well I'm not Running Breeze._ I let out a battle cry full of rage and slashed at his face. Riverpaw dug his claws into my back and tried to pin me down but I shoved him off. As he was struggling to get to his paws, I leapt onto his back and held on with my claws digging into his shoulders. Riverpaw let out a yelp.

"You lied to me! I thought I could trust you!" I snarled. Tears filled my eyes. "I thought you loved me!" My claws dug deeper into Riverpaw and we rolled around in the dirt.

"You don't understand!" Riverpaw hissed. I growled.

"I understand plenty! I thought you were different! But you're just like your clanmates! Self-centered and liars!" I snarled. We wrestled each other in the dirt. Riverpaw's claws tore my ear leaving a nick in it's place. _Ocean Breeze and Silver Frost were right! How could I have been so stupid?_

"Riverclan retreat!" Crookedstar's yowl sounded. Riverpaw shook me off and ran after his fleeing clan. I shook myself in rage and chased after him.

"Leopardpaw!" a voice called. I ignored it and kept chasing Riverpaw. Then someone bowled me over. I struggled to my paws but they held me down. I looked up to see Tigerclaw. He looked down at my pain filled eyes. Tears fell down my cheeks and I leaned into him. I watched as Riverpaw ran over the hill with his clan. He stopped and looked back at me with pain and sorrow. I glared at him and turned away. _I will never forgive him for this. From now on… he's dead to me._ Tigerclaw followed my gaze and glared at the apprentice. "I'll destroy him." he snarled. Then he raised his voice so Riverpaw can hear. "You hurt my daughter, you hurt me! Watch your back because I'll be there! And when I am, you'll be crow-food!" he yowled. Riverpaw ignored his threat and looked at me with pain. I sniffed and glared at him. Riverpaw looked at his paws then ran after his clan.


	32. Chapter 31

**Bossy here! Ok, this is the last chapter for the fanfic. Well not the last last chapter. I'm just making a second part to the fic. I wouldn't leave you guys hanging like that xD. The next part will be called **_**A Leopard's Storm Part 2**_ **so look for that if you want to keep reading. Enjoy the story!**

Riverpaw's POV:

I woke up in my nest before dawn. My dreams were full of Leopardpaw's hurt face and I couldn't sleep. _She hates me now…_ I shook myself. _I had to! I must be loyal to Riverclan. If Leopardpaw can't accept that, then we can't be friends._ I tried to stick those words in my heart but all I felt was lost and miserable. I got up from my nest and stepped over Shadepaw's sleeping body. Then I made my way out of camp. The wounds from Leopardpaw's claws still stung and burned as I moved. I made my way to the gorge and padded into the water. The chilling water cooled off my wounds but I was still hurting. I looked at the water and drifted off into memories. _You're safe with me._ I remembered those words I said to Leopardpaw when I taught her how to swim. I shook my head and looked off into Thunderclan territory. _I'm so sorry Leopardpaw… I wish I could take it back…_ My mind flashed back to the battle. _Loudbelly was watching me. He was trying to see if I was going to betray my clan. It's his fault I attacked her! I was going to leave her alone until I saw him…_ I looked at my paws through the water. Leopardpaw flashed in my vision. Her eyes shone in hurt and rage. I looked away from the water and padded away. _Why couldn't she be a Riverclan cat? Why did I have to fall for her?_ I sighed and padded back to camp. "Thought I would see you here." a murmur sounded. I looked up to see Silverstream. Her gaze was soft with sympathy. "You ok?" she asked. I sighed and looked at the ground.

"No." I muttered. Silverstream sat in front of me and rested her tail over her paws.

"I know why you did it." she mewed. I looked at her. Her belly was round and plump and it stuck out from between her legs. _Is she…?_ Silverstream cleared her throat and I looked at her.

"You're expecting kits." I breathed. Silverstream didn't answer but only looked at me with a grave expression. I sighed and sat down. "Sorry. That was rude of me." I murmured Silverstream gave a small, sad smile.

"It's alright. I guess I'm just gonna have to get used to it." she sighed. I looked at her.

"What are you going to do? What if someone asks who the father is?" I asked.

"I don't know." Silverstream mewed. I tilted my head.

"I'll be their father." I offered. Silverstream purred in laughter and affection.

"Thank you but I don't think that would be a good image. You know, I'm an older warrior and you're an apprentice." she chuckled. I blushed in embarrassment.

"Oh. Yeah." I chuckled. Silverstream laughed then looked at me.

"Now about Leopardpaw." she began. I flattened my ears at the name. "We both know she's hurt that you attacked her. And I'm not saying that it's your fault. I know you only did it because you don't want to be disloyal to your clan." she murmured. I looked at her. "Riverpaw, you are a sweet and strong tom. And you're one of the loyalest cats I know. But you need to stop worrying about what other cats think. Just because you love a cat from another clan, doesn't mean you're disloyal. I can tell Leopardpaw loves you. I can see it in her eyes when she looks at you. And I know you love her just as much. Think about it. If I had to choose between being with the cat I love while the clan hates me for it, or being with my clan and lose the cat I love while being miserable, I would choose the first option. Love is love. It goes beyond borders and clans. If you find that cat who makes you happy, then don't let them leave. Go to her, Riverpaw. You know what's right." Silverstream meowed. Then she got up and walked away. I looked after her and sighed. _Silverstream's right. I love Leopardpaw and she loves me. And that's all that matters._


End file.
